Intentional Motherhood: From Barely Surviving to Thriving Mentally, Emotionally, Abundantly

Kelsey Redd: 00:00

Welcome to Intentional Motherhood. I'm so excited that you decided to join me on this imaginative prayer exercise. I invite you to find a comfortable place to sit or lie down, hopefully somewhere where you can have distractions quieted notifications turned off, and you can just let yourself be immersed in this imaginative prayer. Now I invite you to close your eyes and imagine this scene. You're walking a dusty road along with a crowd of people as you follow the teacher, the rabbi that you've heard so much about.

Kelsey Redd: 00:52

This Jesus. Everyone is eager to hear His teachings. Everyone has been talking about Him. They say miracles follow everywhere He goes. They say He teaches in a way that you've never heard before.

Kelsey Redd: 01:13

Some call Him the Lamb of God. So although it's hot, although you're tired, still you walk for the chance to hear what this preacher has to say. And Jesus went up into a mountain and there he sat with his disciples. Imagine yourself taking a seat on the grass as Jesus begins to teach. Eventually though, the crowd is getting somewhat restless.

Kelsey Redd: 02:06

It's been a long day. Maybe you're not the only one who's exhausted or hungry or tired or overwhelmed knowing they're a long way from home. You notice Jesus conversing with some of his disciples? And he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that all these may eat? And Philip answered him, 200 denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to even eat a little.

Kelsey Redd: 02:53

This worry feels familiar. This feeling of not having enough. Even if we spend all that we have, there wouldn't be enough for the needs. Where in your life do you feel like there's just not enough? Not enough energy, not enough time, not enough money, not enough of you to go around.

Kelsey Redd: 03:31

And then you notice a young boy stand up. There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they for so many? But Jesus doesn't seem concerned about this. In fact, He looks grateful.

Kelsey Redd: 03:57

The first thing He does is give thanks for this meager offering. What offering do you have to present to Jesus, however meager it may feel? Maybe just a mustard seed of faith. Maybe just a desire to trust more. Maybe a spark of an idea.

Kelsey Redd: 04:29

But the look on Jesus' face tells you that whatever you offer Him might just be received with thanks. Jesus then took the loaves and when He had given thanks, He distributed them. Notice that Jesus looks at those loaves and those fish and he's not concerned that it's not enough. He doesn't rebuke the boy for his offering and say, What good does this do? He takes that offering, that small meager offering and he gives thanks.

Kelsey Redd: 05:21

And He distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. Something incredible is happening. You look around and everyone is picking up loaves and fishes as much as they want. There are baskets full. All the disciples are scattered among the crowd, handing out as much food as anyone wants.

Kelsey Redd: 06:02

You can't believe what you're seeing. You saw the boy. You saw what he offered. There's no way it could feed this crowd. And yet, something happened when Jesus blessed the bread.

Kelsey Redd: 06:25

Somehow that meager offering multiplied. Somehow, through the grace and power of Jesus Christ, what felt like not enough, What felt like too little to make any difference. What felt like another failure to provide even with all your resources spent. Somehow turned into an abundance, more than enough. And you're not the only one looking around.

Kelsey Redd: 07:14

Everyone has noticed that somehow there is more than enough to go around even after everyone has eaten their fill. You notice baskets full of leftovers being brought back to Jesus. Notice how you feel. Notice what it feels like to receive abundantly from Jesus. Notice how the fears, the concerns of earlier in the day don't seem to matter anymore.

Kelsey Redd: 08:02

And I invite you to reflect on a couple questions. Where in your life do you need to trust in God's overflow? What are you holding onto tightly because you're afraid there isn't enough? And what would it feel like to receive as much as you wanted in righteousness through Jesus Christ's power and grace. I invite you to stay in this scene as long as you'd like, But we will close with a prayer.

Kelsey Redd: 08:57

O Lord, teach me to trust in your abundance. O Lord, teach me to trust in your abundance.