There's a miracle story in the Bible when Jesus multiples five loaves of bread and two fish to feed 5,000 men plus more when women and children are counted. In the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the disciples just mention to Jesus that they have five loaves and two fish; however, they don't bring up the key detail (in my opinion) of who had the food to start with. The book of John, on the other hand, includes the fact about a young boy who had brought the meal.
"There's a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?" ~John 6:9 (NLT)
How I perceive the back story: the young boy didn't pack his own lunch, but his mom did. Something she probably did daily, and so often she could do it with her eyes closed. So I'm going to suggest if the mom didn't pack the food, the young boy wouldn't have had his lunch that day and, more importantly, anything to offer to the disciples for Jesus to multiply. My conclusion, even though the boy's mom wasn't mentioned, she played a vital part in this miracle.
The mom didn't pack her son's meal that day, expecting a miracle to come out of it. She just did her 'job' faithfully. She was aware of her son's daily needs, thought out what to pack for lunch the night before, and woke up early in the morning to prepare her son's meal for the day. She loaded his favorite bread in a damp cloth so it would be soft and chewy, just like he enjoys it. And then, she securely wrapped the fish she had dried on the line in her kitchen window a few days prior in a separate container so it wouldn't be too smelly. Aware that her son dislikes his bread and fish to touch, she used her version of a bento-style lunch box. To prevent the dust from overwhelming the day's travel, the mom enclosed the lunchbox with a special knot that the son had learned to untie a few weeks prior. Of course, she added her special touch by including a small surprise treat she knew her son would like. (This is what I see when I read between the lines.☺)
It was through the tedious and boring task that a miracle happened. I believe that some miracles are still birthed in the same way. If we can remain in the humble process and teachable posture and do what God expects of us every day (in the big and especially in the small (what usually goes unnoticed)), God will use it. He can multiply it. He can turn it into a miracle. He can take the unseen and turn it into the seen.
"If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones."
~Luke 16:10a (NLT)
"And though your beginning was small, your latter days will be very great" ~Job 8:7 (ESV)
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