Bring Them Here to Me

"Bring them here to me."
— Matthew 14:18

This week's Gospel (Matthew 14:13–21) hit me differently than it has in the past.

The disciples told Jesus they didn’t have enough food to feed the crowd. Jesus asked them to trust Him with what they already had.

By worldly standards, it didn’t make sense. Five loaves and two fish could never feed thousands of people. But the disciples obeyed. They placed what little they had into Jesus' hands, and He provided for everyone.

And not just "enough"—everyone ate until they were satisfied, and there were still twelve baskets of leftovers!

God didn’t simply provide enough. He provided abundantly.

It made me pause and ask how this applies to my life.

In fairness, I'm not always great at translating Bible verses into specific actions, so this was a bit of a long pause.

Having four kids to provide for, there is always that thought in the back of my mind: What if something happened and we couldn't provide for our family? We work hard because we want our children to have a safe home, to feel secure, and to have everything they truly need.

But really, I should be leaning into God more than I do.

So I started thinking: How can I bring what little I have to God? And how can I be like Jesus by sharing whatever abundance He has already given me?

Or as one of my best friends—who happens to be an atheist—says "things to do for good." I love that. It's a beautiful reminder that goodness can be found in people from all walks of life.

♡ Offering ten minutes of prayer during my morning shower or over my coffee—whichever happens to have fewer interruptions that day. 😊

♡ Prioritizing God, even when it would feel easier not to. Putting tithing first in our budget and bringing our family to Sunday Mass.

♡ Watching for people who may need help and offering it quietly—without needing credit or recognition. Holding the door for someone, trading places in line with someone who is struggling to stand, or simply offering a smile to someone who looks like they could use one.

Pro tip: Do not tell the woman who looks like she may be pregnant that she should go ahead of you because she is pregnant. 😉

♡ Leading with kindness, choosing generosity, and loving people well. Those things have a way of multiplying too. One small act of kindness can inspire another, and another, until we've impacted far more people than we'll ever know.

We don’t need to have much.

We simply need to trust Jesus with what we’ve been given.

The rest is His.

This is what I came up with, but I'd love to hear your ideas too so I can add them to my list of "good things to do for God." ♡