Grasping Too Tightly

"Give them something to eat yourselves." Matthew 4:16

There are times when our need or the need of others overwhelms us. In today's reading, there is a multitude of people who followed Jesus and His disciples to a deserted place. When the disciples suggest that He dismiss the crowd so they may buy food for themselves, Jesus tells them to give them something to eat! It matters not if there are a hundred or a thousand or five thousand! The disciples do not have anything in their pockets or their hands to give the people but a meager 5 loaves and 2 fish.

In Exodus 4, Moses is overwhelmed by the task before him. "What if they do not believe me?" He asked. Then God responded, "What is that in your hand?" And God used what was in Moses' hand, a staff, to do miracles. 

We have to be prepared like Moses and the disciples to offer to God what is in our hands, what is in our possession, so that He can use it and us. Sometimes we hold on too tightly to what we have because we think it is too little. We don't want to let go. The more we close our fists, the harder it is for God to let blessings flow into our lives, to bless others. 

My friends and I have been holding garage sales and auctions to raise money for the medical expenses of a good friend and brother. He fell on a hard concrete floor in April and has been in a coma since then with some steady improvement. We have been able to raise a good sum of money just from the donations of generous brothers and sisters who have let go of printers, leather bags, golf clubs, jewelry, nice clothes, shoes, toys, books and a whole lot of other things. 

Father, help us not to hold on too tightly to earthly treasures. May we see our possessions as just passing through our hands on its way to blessing and helping others.