Dinner for Two
Dear Sutton and Savannah,
When you don’t have enough resources for everything you want, you have to make some tough choices. And when you have an abundance of resources and there are others in need, you again, have to make some tough choices. However, there are other times when you just can’t see the abundance of resources that are available for the needs that feel overwhelming. These are the moments that are pregnant with possibilities. I encourage you not to under estimate God’s provisions for the challenges you face.
-Dad
Inside Out Lectionary Letters
Year A Proper 13 - (Texts, Art, Hymns)
Readings for Sunday, August 2, 2026
Genesis 32:22-31 / Psalm 17:1-7, 15 / Romans 9:1-5 / Matthew 14:13-21
Summary of Matthew 14:13-21
This passage contains the story of the miraculous feeding of the massive crowds with simply fives loaves of bread and two fish, enough for about two people.
Scripture as a Mirror of the Soul
The feeding of the five thousand has been understood in different ways. Some see it primarily as a miracle that reveals the divinity of Jesus. Others view it as a picture of God’s abundance, multiplying what is willingly placed in God’s hands. Still others hear it as a story about the contagious nature of generosity, where one act of sharing inspires another until an entire community discovers there is enough. However we might understand the miracle itself, the turning point of the story comes in the exchange between Jesus and the disciples. The disciples see scarcity and want to send the crowds away. Jesus sees possibility and says, “You give them something to eat.”
The same conversation unfolds within us. The inner journey inevitably leads us into places where we feel inadequate. We encounter old wounds, protective patterns, fear, anger, and the quiet voices that insist we do not have what it takes to become whole. Like the disciples, we are tempted to focus on what is missing. We measure our resources against the size of the task before us and conclude that there simply is not enough. Yet the invitation of the Kingdom is to resist premature conclusions. The soul grows whenever curiosity becomes stronger than certainty, and hope remains open to possibilities we cannot yet imagine.
This is one reason I value dreams so deeply. When we sleep, many of the defenses that shape our waking lives become less rigid. The dreaming mind often approaches old problems with surprising creativity, offering images and possibilities that our conscious mind might never consider. The inner journey teaches us to linger with those possibilities rather than rushing toward quick answers. As old ways of understanding ourselves begin to loosen, new ways of seeing gradually emerge. Transformation often begins, not when we acquire more resources, but when we discover that the resources we already possess can be used in ways we never expected.
Perhaps the greatest miracle in this story is not simply that five loaves and two fish became enough, but that Jesus invited his disciples to see abundance where they expected scarcity. What if we approached our own souls with that same generosity? What if we trusted that love has already planted within us enough courage to face our wounds, enough grace to meet our shadow, and enough hope to continue the journey home? The Kingdom of Heaven continually invites us to believe that we are more than our fears would have us believe, and that what is offered to love is never diminished, but multiplied.