Would You Like to Supersize That?

When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to burst. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. ~Luke 5:6-7

Golden-crowned Kinglets weigh less than a nickle. These little gems can be found in the summer around here, but surprisingly, you are more likely to find one currently after more of them have migrated south for our fine Maine winter weather. So how does such a tiny bird survive days of single-digit weather? By eating as much as they can. They will spend up to 85% of their waking hours searching for food. Thankfully, they only need eight calories a day to survive. That sounds simple until you scale that up. The equivalent for a hundred-pound human would be 67,000 calories! Measured in pizzas, this small human would require 27 large pies! Imagine the effort involved in just eating that much. Or maybe you would prefer to eat your way through a 26 pound pile of peanuts? Regardless, what a remarkable skill these Kinglets possess to allow them to survive even double digit below zero temperatures over night. Yet, for them it is unremarkable, they are simply built that way.

The story of Jesus calling Peter, James, and John to be disciples also involves massive quantities of food, in this case fish. They had been working hard fishing without much success. They were resigned to scarcity thinking. Then Jesus pushes them just past their limits, of body and spirit. They cast the nets one more time, clearly expecting them to remain empty. Not only does God sufficiently provide, there is amazing abundance. Ironically, this doesn’t feed their bodies, they leave it all with Zebedee, the father of John and James. However, their very hungry spirits eat up the holy miracle calories. Perhaps they were discovering their actual true nature as believers. Perhaps they were learning that God’s economy is marked by abundance.

We can’t know how Kinglets feel about the necessity of their nearly constant search for abundance, but clearly they act like they believe abundance is possible.

If we can follow their example, perhaps we will not just discover abundance, but begin to trust God to provide.

Prayer: Super-sizing God, yes, we will have another serving of your grace. Amen.