Do we have the same attitude as the disciples before the feeding of the 5,000?
They answered, “But all we have is five barley loaves and two fish.” (Matthew 14.17, TPT)
The “all we have is…” attitude can be discouraging and blind us to good things we already have that Jesus wants to use. There was a large downtown church, which had a two-story parking lot structure. One Sunday a particularly dour parking usher woefully said to me as I arrived for a worship service, “All we have is parking up top.” He could have said, “Welcome! There’s plenty of parking on level 2!”
Jesus’ response to the disciples says it all:
They answered, “But all we have is five barley loaves and two fish.” “Let me have them,” Jesus replied.(Matthew 14.17, 18, TPT)
In other words, “I can work with that! For that matter, I can work with you!” Henri Nouwen challenges the “all we have is…” attitude with respect to our own sin:
God’s mercy is greater than our sins. There is an awareness of sin that does not lead to God but rather to self-preoccupation. Our temptation is to be so impressed by our sins and failings and so overwhelmed by our lack of generosity that we get stuck in a paralyzing guilt. It is the guilt that says: “I am too sinful to deserve God’s mercy.” It is the guilt that leads to introspection instead of directing our eyes to God. It is the guilt that has become an idol and therefore a form of pride. – From Show Me the Way by Henri Nouwen, Ash Wednesday meditation.
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2.10, NIV)
I’m so grateful to Christ Jesus for making me adequate to do this work. He went out on a limb, you know, in trusting me with this ministry. The only credentials I brought to it were invective and witch hunts and arrogance. But I was treated mercifully because I didn’t know what I was doing—didn’t know Who I was doing it against! Grace mixed with faith and love poured over me and into me. And all because of Jesus. (1 Timothy 1.12 – 14, MSG)