Don't Throw It Away!
by Dan Jones, M.D.
John 6:9
“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
When Simon Peter asked this question in response to the need to feed five thousand people, indeed, the five loaves and two fish seemed inadequate for the need at hand. In fact, they seemed useless. Don't you know the lunch seemed useless to the lad at times that day, as well?
We can imagine how he felt as he left his house that day with his lunch in his hand, and joined his friends who were also going out to see Jesus. As they greeted each other, he must have noticed that the rest of the boys were carrying no lunch. It likely occurred to him that maybe he didn’t need his lunch, after all. Perhaps lunch would be provided. Certainly, carrying his lunch all morning would be inconvenient, at the least. And wouldn't his buddies make fun of him all morning for being a "mommy's boy"?
So, early in the day, the boy had an important choice to make. Wouldn't the day be more fun if he was not encumbered with his lunch? He had to make the choice about throwing the lunch away. His mother had worked hard to provide and prepare the lunch, so he would feel bad about that. But, it was only fish and bread - not very valuable. And, besides, she would never know if he threw it away, would she? But, he decided against throwing his lunch away.
Just as the young boy was provided this lunch, God has provided for us. He has given us the talent, skills, and opportunity to serve Him. Those of us fortunate enough to serve Him as a healthcare professional have been given the opportunity for education and training. Sometimes, though, it's easy for us to overlook the rich blessing in this. We can take these blessings and opportunities for granted. When we see others with a higher level of training, others smarter, richer, more recognized, we can see what God has provided for us as simple fish and loaves. Sometimes, we can fail to recognize these are gifts from God. And just as the young boy was tempted to throw away his lunch, we can be tempted to throw away our lives and the opportunities provided by God.
We can throw our lives away through failure to discipline our study lives to be all we can be; or through a life of sin and disobedience with drugs or other addictions; or by disobedience in our family lives. In today's world of pressure and temptation, there are so many ways we can choose to throw away what God has provided for us. The talents, skills, and opportunities we have are all from God. We must recognize the need to cultivate them into service for Him.
Lord, thank you for blessing me so richly. Help me to make good choices with what you have provided. Help me not to throw away what you provide for me.
Dan Jones, M.D., MACP, FAHA, a board-certified Internist, a former medical missionary to Korea, professor of medicine at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, Dean of the School of Medicine, and Chancellor of the University of Mississippi until 2015. Dr. Dan Jones is a member of CMDA.
Dr. Jones welcomes any comments or questions about what he has written and can be reached at - djones@umc.edu
Rounds with the Master, Spiritual Pearls from the Great Physician Devotionals are released every Monday and Thursday.
Photo by Kinga Kołodziejska on Unsplash
