Building Campfires of Love

 

“Bring them here to me.” –Matthew 14:18

Jesus had been preaching and healing all day. As evening approached, the apostles suggested that He dismiss the crowd so the people could go and buy food in the nearby village. When He told them to feed the crowd themselves, they pointed out that all they had were a few loaves of bread and a couple fish. They knew that the people needed food; they also knew that what they had wasn’t enough to feed themselves, much less the whole crowd.  

We, too, see the needs of the people around us. We may look at our resources and think we don’t have enough to share. We might think that whatever we do share couldn’t possibly make a difference for anyone else. Maybe we feel foolish giving ‘just a little.’  

‘Bring them here to Me,’ is all Jesus said. He took what little they had, added His loving power to it, and transformed it from something meager into something significant. He can do the same thing with anything we give to our neighbors, whether that’s ourselves, our time, or our goods.

Think of how you build a campfire. You start with kindling and maybe a bit of paper and small broken sticks. A spark is needed to get the fire started, more wood is added a little at a time, and then the large logs are added to keep the fire going. Before long, what started as a small pile of twigs on the ground has become a blazing campfire.

Our kind deeds and humble offerings are like those sticks, and God’s love at work in us is the spark that sets the wood on fire. To build His campfire – His kingdom of love on earth – God needs our firewood. What might this look like?

A phone call to check in on someone who lives alone might be the ‘glowing twig’ that adds brightness to their day and keeps them from feeling lonely.

The items you overbought for your cookout could go to the foodbank or a soup kitchen. You might not have enough to feed many, but added together with others’ donations – sticks upon sticks – your contribution could be an answer to someone’s prayers.

A kind word at the checkout line might bring a smile to someone whose spirit needed to be lifted without your knowing it. The ‘campfire’ of their soul now has a couple more loving sticks on it to make it burn a little brighter.

So offer to Christ what you have, both modest and bountiful. Our Lord will use your good intentions, your random acts of kindness, and your humble donations for His ‘campfire.’ Let His love spark the ‘firewood’ in your own heart and in the hearts of your neighbors.  

“Lord, accept what I give and use it to build Your kingdom of love.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2022 Gina Bedell   If you would like to receive these reflections directly to your inbox, please email me at ginabedell1@gmail.com and I will add you to my ‘BCC’ email list. Comments are always welcome! Feel free to share it with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Thanks!

 p.s.

We continue to pray for an end to the war. If you’d like to help the people of Ukraine through the Cleveland Maidan Association, you may use either PayPal or a credit/debit card here:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/...