unnoticed

You never see her, but she is there. Just a mom, tucked away somewhere deep in the crowd. No one knows her name, and she is not considered in the census that day. She sits quietly in the back row, unnoticed. 

Captivated by the speaker, she refused to get up. She wasn’t going to miss one word this man had to say. She doesn’t notice her stomach start to growl. In between sessions, she overhears the disciples speaking to him.

They don’t know how to get Jesus to understand. There is no way they could feed everyone in attendance. 

She knows its not much, but remembers she had packed her little boy lunch. She pats his back and urges him on, “son, go give this to him.” What a foolish move. For certainly, what good would her scraps be to a king? 

So the young boy walks up to the miracle-working man and hands him his meager lunch. Two loaves and five fish. The man winks at Him and says “watch this.” The boy stands in awe as his small lunch feeds thousands.

Unnoticed. But prepared. Her intentions were not to be recognized, just to help. She loved this man who spoke with such authority, she didn’t have to be the one to hand it to him. In fact – she rather her child do it. If her boy could get close to this man, than all her efforts were worth it, even if it meant shrinking back into the shadows. 

It is easy to get discouraged at times. We feel as if our roles are hidden, that our story doesn’t matter. We spin our wheels, slopping more and more commitments on our plates, determined to make a difference with our lives, even if it takes our last breath. We exhaust ourselves and still feel defeated.

But we miss it. We make it so much harder than it is. Sometimes the miracle is in your kid’s lunchbox. 

Obedience in the details.

There is assurance knowing that the Lord wants to fulfill His plan for your life more than you want to fulfill His plan for your life. Sometimes the best way of getting there is relinquishing the reins and living fully where you are, right now. 

It may mean staying in the shadows for a season, patting the back of someone else as they are recognized for the things that you have rightly worked for. 

But remember, His plans are to prosper you, not to harm you. You are not forgotten or overlooked. He knows every strand of hair on your head, and in fact – they matter to him. 

Life is but a vapor. Let us quit focusing on the accomplishments we have yet to achieve and start focusing on the man speaking to the crowd. 

The only king in history who cherishes the scraps more than the gold. 

Wherever you are, its not an accident. He is working it out in the details. Just stay faithful. You are noticed. I assure you, you are noticed.

God can do anything, you know – far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. – Ephesians 3:20 (Message)