when your egg scoots

Tis the season to be thankful.  However, one wise guy said, “It seems like the only place you find gratitude today is in the dictionary.”   Life can squeeze the thanks from our tanks.  Better, however, to meet the challenge with a grateful heart than a great complaint.

Jesus addressed a crowd of eight thousand who had feasted on His words but were famished for a piece of bread.   They were hungry and far from home. 

Out of concern, He asked His disciples, “How many loaves do you have?” They replied, “Seven.”  (Mark 8:5)Seven loaves for 8,000?  Each small loaf would need to feed 1,142 people.  Enough for a crumb a piece!  Nice if you are on a low-carb diet, but ridiculously little for the crowd.

Jesus could have said, “whatever” or blamed His congressman.  He might have shaken His fist at the Father and said, “This is another fine mess you’ve gotten me into.” 

Instead, “He took the seven loaves and gave thanks.”  (v. 6).  He somehow juggled the small loaves in His hands and prayed a sincere thanksgiving prayer

It was a meager and insufficient amount, but it’s what the Father had decided to supply at that moment.  So, He gave thanks for it, trusted the Father to make it all work, and then saw that it was distributed to the crowd. 

And then, He took a few small fish and unexpectedly gave thanks a second time. (vs. 7)   Sort of odd really.   What would your family say if you should interrupt your turkey feast to say grace – again?   Evidently Jesus had a lesson to teach about gratitude.

Of course, we know what happened next.  In His hands the meagerness exploded into more than enough to feed the multitude – with 7 good sized baskets full of leftovers.

He made it clear that a grateful heart is a great asset.

But I guess my wife and I are not spiritually perceptive enough to learn it from Him.  He needed to use a three-year-old instead.

I was in college at the time. My wife, our 3 year-old daughter and me – all squeezed into a very used up, 12 by 60 mobile home.  It was quite the place.

The support beams underneath had sagged over time, so the floor of the trailer was high in the middle and sloped toward the walls. 

If you cracked an egg into a frying pan, it would race to the side and try to climb out of the skillet.

The drain from the washing machine often overflowed the sewer line.  So, I had to drain the washer into our bathtub to accommodate the excess.  Not a problem unless you were taking a bath. (as if my naval didn’t already have enough lint) 

She and I were asleep one night when we were awakened by a jolt to our bed.  There was a new slope in the house.  A bed leg had had poked right through the rotted trailer floor!

The biggest challenge was the cramped space.  We had a tiny house before they were hot.  With only 820 sq. ft., we had furniture stacked on top of furniture with a growing theological library crammed into every nook and cranny.  

My daughter needed a bed.  I had to create a miniature version to fit in the teensy bedroom of our tiny house.

We endured.  We knew it was for just for 3 years, but eventually my wife reached the breaking point. The egg scooted just once too often, and she was overwhelmed with the cluttered chaos.

That evening we grumpily readied our 3-year-old daughter for bed who wasn’t aware of our frustration and yet she prayed the sweetest most sincere prayer ever.  She said, “Dear God, thank you for this nice day and for our big, big house.” 

Nuff said!   Take a good look at your house, and your family – your job, your car, your health, and whatever else needs a look – and thank the Father.

PS: You could even thank Him that your eggs don’t scoot (or do they?)

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*Scripture references from the NET Bible®