When I was young, I could never understand the miracle of the five loaves and two fish that my Sunday School teacher taught from the Bible. I imagined that Jesus must have performed some kind of marvelous magic to feed so many people. Or perhaps, when the little boy offered his food, the adults were moved and brought out what they had been hiding—so that five thousand men ate and twelve baskets were left over. These were the human explanations I preferred to believe, even up until a few years ago.

But I have since experienced such miracles myself, and I have met people of faith through whom these miracles were accomplished. Now I cannot help but believe that the miracle of the five loaves and two fish still happens in our lives today. When a person’s sacrifice and devotion are offered to the Lord, He blesses it—and the miracle begins.

A few years ago, my pastor and I were given an opportunity to turn our eyes toward mission work for struggling women and children living between two cultures. We prayed earnestly that God would open a way for us to help them. Our prayer time was small—barely an hour out of twenty‑four. We had no financial means to support such a ministry. But the Lord blessed that small prayer. He sent believers who wanted to give financially, and others who offered their time to serve with us. Through them, the work was accomplished.

And that was not all. The Lord also opened doors for us to pray and minister to brothers and sisters in places we could not physically reach—those who desperately needed the touch of God.

Recently, I visited a retreat center in New Jersey and read the moving story of the man who founded it. The center is now ninety‑eight years old, expanded over time into a beautiful 880‑acre property with modern facilities, a lake, and a healing environment. It houses programs for those struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, offering months of spiritual restoration.

The founder had once been a young alcoholic whose life was completely ruined. After accepting Christ, he became a new person. He realized how much pain he had caused others and how deeply he had harmed himself. The joy of escaping his hellish former life was too great to keep to himself. He began praying about how he could help others like him.

He took the only money he had—$1.87—and offered it to the Lord. With that, he bought a small piece of land and opened a tiny retreat house, bringing in people who were suffering as he once had, and sharing God’s Word with them.

Though he has long passed away, his children continued his faith. To this day, 17,000 people struggling with addiction have come to Christ, been healed, and returned to their families and workplaces as new people. Those who never realized how broken they were came face‑to‑face with their wounds before Christ. The small offering once given to the Lord became a miracle of five loaves and two fish—multiplied beyond measure.

It is not easy to offer our small, insignificant things to the Lord. We hesitate, wondering whether we should give or keep them. Sometimes we feel frustrated—why does the Lord always seem to ask for the very thing we want to hold on to? But looking back, I now understand: when the Lord asks for something, it is never to take from us or make us lose. What He desires is not our material possession, but our devotion and love—so that He may bless it and give us a life without lack or thirst.

How about you? Is life heavy today? Do you feel cold even in the heat? Lonely in a crowd? Hungry even in abundance?

Offer a small branch of your life to the Lord. Just as the young boy gave his five barley loaves and two fish, give your life to Him. The Lord will bless it—and you will experience the overflowing abundance of twelve baskets left over.

— Yoon Wan‑Hee, October 16, 1995