How Big is Your Spoon Have you ever wondered what Jesus must have felt when he was surrounded by crowds of people pressing against him? Can you imagine the desperation of people who had no medical options for illness, especially the poor? I am always amazed at how the Lord was so patient with those He reached out with compassion day after day. Yet, even He knew that in spite of His healing touch and provisions for the hungry it is the human condition to deteriorate and one day die. Still, he ministered to others, even up to His death. There He reached out to a thief and made provision for His mother. When I was in India the first time, God kept showing me the thousands and ten-thousands who were desperately seeking anything I could do for them. It became so obvious and so painful that I cried out to God, “Lord this is an ocean of pain, and I only have a spoon.” I was afraid that all of the pain and suffering I saw was far beyond my abilities, time, and finances to meet. But the Lord didn’t let me off of the hook. He said, “Jeff, you can make a difference here, if you are patient, and do it one spoonful at a time.” So, in 1989, I began—with a small spoonful of assistance by taking 15 orphans into a rented building. In India, there are 3-5 million orphans. So you could rightfully wonder, “What possible difference could that make?’ But maybe that’s the wrong question. Maybe the question should be, “Do you believe God can take your spoon and do a miracle with it—no matter how small?” God began to show me that it wasn’t the size of the spoon that really mattered, but what I was willing to do with it. In the same way, Jesus used 5 loaves and 2 fishes and fed thousands, can’t He do the same with you life and your small spoon? Then he began to show me that it wasn’t as much what I did with the spoon as what I believed GOD could do with it. In the end, we have learned it isn’t as important to have a large spoon as to have a large God who is directing our paths. Year by year, we have seen Him take our small spoon and do very large things. INSIDE this issue, you can see the many ways God is using Mission of Joy to extend His mercies to the poor, orphaned, and sick. You have been a part of this miracle. May the Lord richly bless you for helping us to minister in this ocean of pain.
