Asking the Impossible

Sometimes it may seem as though God asks us to do something impossible. It might have seemed that way to the disciples when Jesus told them to feed the hungry crowd. When we are faced with a challenge, it is easy to forget that the Lord does not ask us to do more than we are able to do but he does ask us to trust Him. He took the five loaves and two fish from the disciples and multiplied them to feed a crowd. He will take our humble gifts and stretch them to do His work if we are willing to hand them over to Him. Handing over the loaves and fishes was not a "big" deed; the Lord worked the miracle out of the "littleness" of the disciples' offering.

This notion of offering our small actions can be applied to our daily life. Perhaps there is a coworker with whom we would like to cultivate a better relationship. At first we may not feel able to have a meaningful conversation or even a polite conversation, for that matter. Reaching out in small ways such as smiling, showing courtesy with a simple greeting, making eye contact, etc., can have a deeper and more profound effect than we realize. The Lord can use our good will and our sincere intentions for His good purpose. Sometimes small kindnesses are enough, over time, to unlock a strained relationship. We do not have to do great deeds if we are willing to trust the Lord with the small deeds we are able to offer.

"While I am busy with little things,
I am not required to do greater things."
St. Francis de Sales