“Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.”John 6:8-13 NIV
One of the most famous parables taught by Jesus. I remember as a child having to hear it taught each time we had bible study week (DVBS).
But do most of us know the intended meaning it is supposed to pass?
I don’t think so. It’s just recently that I had a deep study of the verse that I came to grasp the meaning.
It’s taking about our gifts and environments. What we have at hand.
Are we willing to use them to transform our lives? or are we going to be like Andrew the disciple and say “here is a boy with five barely small loaves and two fish?”
Growing up, I grew up in an estate called Santack along Ngong road on your way to Karen and opposite Nairobi showground. I happened to have a neighbor called Joe.
Joe became a good neighbor to the point people started thinking he is my uncle. Nowadays I’m so used to introducing him as “Uncle Joe”.
For the twenty plus something years I’ve been on this earth, I’ve known Joe doing glass – art or as popularly known “engraving”.
He doesn’t have the masters and PhD’s that most people do but his skill has made him travel the globe and meet very influential people.
Just recently our deputy president (William Ruto) bought his engraving and gifted him machines to expand his work.
When he was starting, most people thought he wouldn’t amount into anything. They so much discouraged him from following his dreams that he felt like giving up.
My mom and dad saw the potential he had and encouraged him to continue pushing for I believe they saw where he was destined to go. They taught him some few professional etiquettes for they were both in the working environment.
Even when he had his accident my mom as a nurse helped him in the recouping process. He has been pushing with his art up to today and he is the classical analogy of the five loaves and two fish. He used what he had at hand to transform his life.
Recently nation newspaper did a feature on him and he said it’s his art that transformed his life from a cow ranch life in Nanyuki to where he is today.
And that is what I’m trying to address in my story this month. Whatever you have at hand, use it to your advantage and you shall be amazed.
Don’t just whine about how you don’t have thing x and y, rather use the little you have to change your situation. As they say, “necessity is the mother of invention”
Through The Mask 