Here we are- my name is Pita and these guys are my friends. We are known as the “5 small loaves of bread and two tiny fish” and we are again stuck in a boys brown sack ready for him to eat us for dinner. Why don’t folks like us ever get a bigger job such as being served in a kings palace or being cooked by a culinary expert or being the star menu items on a big town’s creme de la creme restaurant? We always go unnoticed by everyone else but the kid, and that’s the end of us. ”

Hey, it looks like we are taking a different route today. Look at that crowded hillside with thousands of people listening to a guy speak some kind of sermon. Wait….wait, where are we going? We are heading towards the preacher man. He seems to be someone important. I can hear one of his friends saying “Jesus, this little boy offered his lunch, but he only has 5 small loaves and two small fish. How will that be enough for so many people.” Once again we are being seen as insignificant and never being good enough for a prime place at the buffet.

“Bring them to me.” Did you hear that guys, he just said he wanted the kid to bring us to him. Oh boy, why is he lifting us up and blessing us? We must be getting ready for a big job. Look out subway footlong, here comes 5 stadium long subs. Look out you measly fish and chips, here comes 2 giant Jonah’s whales. Get ready to be supersized boys!!!!!!!

Did you feel that? NO, NO, this can’t be happening. We must have heard wrong. Why is he breaking us into pieces? We were supposed to be “stepped up” but now we are being torn down. This is not what we wanted. I thought we were going to be used for something special but it turns out I was wrong.

Have you ever felt like Pita and his friends? Have you always seen your job or ministry as small and trivial. You pray to be used in a bigger way that touches more. Just when you prayed you heard your pastor call and say he had a ministry that the church is in desperate need help with. You got so excited. What could it be? Preaching, leading a Bible study, being a youth group leader. You were just waiting to hear the pastors next words. “I want need you to clean the woman’s bathrooms.” You swear you must have heard wrong. Did he say scrub the toilets. It can’t be. Can you say that again pastor? “Would you be willing to clean the bathrooms.” The words cut through your heart like a knife. You asked for a more significant ministry and you got stuck in the dump.

My friends, often times when we ask the Lord to multiply our lot, He ends up breaking us into small pieces. Why? It is only as we are humbled that Jesus can use us in giant ways. You may think cleaning the bathrooms is a degrading job but suppose a little Billy Graham or Charles Sturgeon sees you diligently scrubbing those toilets every Wednesday and Sunday with a smile on your face and joy in your heart. That one task may forever embed a picture on the boys heart of what true obedience means. Then, when the Lord asks them to preach to thousands, they will be willing to answer the call because they remember you being faithful no matter what the task was you were called to do. Souls will be in heaven not only because they heard a soul searching sermon but because that preacher saw someone spraying the bathroom mirror with windex like they had been commissioned to paint a piece of art for the King.

You may ask what happened to Pita and his friends. Well, it ended up that the man who blessed them was the King of Kings and He used them as the stars in a miracle feeding of 5,000 men. Not only that, their leftovers were used as mouthwatering meals for the 12 disciples and their families.

So may we take a lesson from the 5 small loaves and 3 fishes. When you fell yourself getting broken down, remember you are in the nail pierced hand of the Savior and he is going to use you in ways you have never dreamed of.