Lenten Reflection: March 5

Matthew 14:16-17

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁶ But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.

¹⁷ And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.

My reflection: It is a tradition at the Episcopal church to have an Easter egg hunt for the children on Easter Sunday. One year, JB was having none of it. It was the first year after the building remodel, so I am guessing 2005 or maybe 2006...anyway she was in a full on temper and flat out REFUSED to hunt the eggs with the other kids. If any of you know me well, you know how I feel about Easter Egg hunts. They are one of my most favorite things on this earth! It made my heart so sad to watch her. MY KID, MY kid was missing out on the joy of an Easter Egg hunt. But sure enough, there she sat, crying miserably on the stairs of the church house's back porch, just watching the other kids having a good time hunting Easter Eggs. But then, what I did see, touched my life forever. After all the eggs were gathered up, the children began to come up the stairs, one at a time, right past JB. A few children walked right past her, but then one, who I will call "Q" reached into his basket and pulled out a single plastic egg and dropped it into JB's empty bucket. That started a chain reaction, and EVERY CHILD after "Q" dropped one egg into JB's bucket.  Soon, she had a full bucket, and a giant grin on her face. I had tears in my eyes and a very grateful heart. This scripture passage reminds me of this event, because it is the ultimate story of sharing with others. While I know that Jesus did not bless the Easter eggs to create more, I do believe there was a divine intervention that inspired "Q" and the rest of the children to share with JB. She was throwing a tantrum, and certainly did not "DESERVE"  to be rewarded with an egg, but through them giving just a little, she was able to receive the happiness that I had hoped she would receive, which honestly is quite a lot.