Loaves and Fish

We are made up of many parts. Body, mind and spirit. I realize that much of what I have been blogging about here is spirit. There is the physical dwelling (body) that we need to make sound choices about (mind) and what really is important in the long-run for our journey (spirit). I'm a spiritual person. I know my take on controversial subjects such as politics, money and religion are different than yours, and that is okay with me. If it isn't okay with you, then you won't like my post. I'm giving you an out here........

Moving on.

Not paying my mortgage for 3 months, and selling our house short has been nothing, if it hasn't been a spiritual experience. I have learned who I am, and what is important to me, and how tightly I hold to ideas which are not sacred, but seem safe. I have learned the true meaning of integrity. Things are seldom what they seem, and I have no authority to make a call one way or another when something is not my concern. You live well, and I'll do my best too. I can only speak for me, which is why I'm going to talk about a story from the life of Jesus in my blog about real estate.

There is a time in the life of Christ where He was talking to many many people for a long long time. Everyone was hungry and all of them were far from a place to get something to eat. Those close to Jesus asked to let everyone be dismissed to get dinner. In typical Jesus fashion, he gave a cryptic command. He said to them, 'you feed them'. The disciples pushed back, and asked how they were to feed 5,000 people without food or money (good question). He told them to go and see how much food everyone had if they combined all the food. They found 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Jesus gave thanks for the food, and served 5,000 people with that small amount. All the people were full, well fed, and there was food left over.

Flash forward to 2 Fridays ago. My house is packed in boxes. The only things I have, my body, mind and spirit, are tired and weak. I look around and feel alone. Maybe not physically alone, but even so, my kids are at school, my husband is at work, and I'm packing and cleaning from dusk 'till dawn. My mind tells me some bad things:
I am alone (I am tired and not thinking clearly. Clearly I am not alone.) Who has willingly done something so stupid, as to practically give the only possession we have of potential worth to a mega-institution so they can make money on it? I'm asking myself this because I hate moving, and organizing all my stuff, and because I'm tired. If I sit down too long, then it won't EVER get done. I'm going mad a bit. Where are my socks, where are the keys to the mail box, what box to the thumb-tacks go in, where is my cat and have I fed him?
As you could imagine, my spirits were low.

At 3 p.m., what seems to me a miracle of Biblical proportions occurred . My friends and family descended, without call, on my house. In 4 hours, nearly every piece of furniture and all the boxes were at our new house. The next day by 2p.m. my whole house was moved, and nearly unpacked in the new house. I was participating, but in a fog. My mind was cloudy with proximity of possessions, and fumes from cleaning solution. I mopped my self out of every room of that old place, and got sniffling into the car and came home to a new place. 15 people hauling and cleaning and loving my family. Beyond those 15 were scores of well-wishers, calling and asking if there was anyway they could help.

This is the part I thought some might not like, the folks who don't want to read anything about the story of Jesus are already out, at this point. Here is where I'm drawn back to this story of Jesus. Yes, maybe he did spontaneously generate enough seafood and bread to feed the masses. He might have, I'm not saying he didn't, I'm just saying maybe he didn't.

Maybe the people who He was teaching that day were moved enough to share what they had. They might not have been at first before they met Him. Maybe they had the food the whole time, but were unwilling to share. After listening to Jesus talk for an afternoon, they were moved to share what they had. Maybe that is a part of the miracle.

The real miracle might be that we sometimes guard what we have to give, but when we are moved in love to give, like my friends and family, we can move mountains, or a family of 4 across town.

Thank you all so much for letting miraculous things happen, and being a part of the mystery!