Two Cinnamon Rolls, No Fish

Bible Reading: John 6:5-13

“Yessss, cinnamon rolls!” Anna bounced in her lunchroom seat, her braids swinging up and down. She carefully opened the plastic bag, releasing the delicious smell into the air.

“Anna, won’t you share?” asked her friend Andrew. He sat across the table eyeing her treats.

Anna bit into a cinnamon roll and slowly chewed with her eyes closed. She licked the sticky icing off her fingers with a smack. “You had cookies.” She pointed at the leftover crumbs in front of him. “You don’t need my cinnamon rolls.”

“Pleeeease?” Andrew begged. He folded his hands and pouted.

“No, these are mine.” Anna was about to eat the second roll when she spotted Chris. “Is Chris eating alone again?”

Andrew turned around to see. “Looks like it. He always eats one PB and J sandwich. I know I’d be hungry if that’s all I ate.”

Anna frowned. “That reminds me of something. Do you remember how we learned about Jesus feeding five thousand people with a little boy’s lunch? It wasn’t much, but he shared it with Jesus. And Jesus did a miracle with it!”

“Yeah,” said Andrew. “I bet that boy was surprised when the five loaves of bread and two fish he brought for lunch fed five thousand people!”

Anna looked at the roll, then back at Chris. “What good can this small cinnamon roll do?” she whispered to herself.

“Hey, you’re not throwing that away, are you?” asked Andrew. He perked up when Anna stood.

“No,” Anna said. “I’m sharing the little I have. It can’t feed everyone, but maybe it can help somebody.”

Anna walked to Chris’s table. “Hey, Chris.” She offered him the roll.

“What’s that?” Chris asked shyly.

“It’s a cinnamon roll,” Anna replied. “My mom made it, but I want to share it with you.”

Chris’s eyes grew wide and welled up with tears. “My mom used to bake rolls before she got sick.”

“Oh.” Anna bit her lip. “Here, try it.” She handed it to him and sat down across the table. “It’s really yummy.”

Chris took the roll from the plastic bag and carefully bit into it. As he chewed, he closed his eyes and smiled.

Anna smiled too.

-Kenzie McGregor

How About You?

What’s something small you can share to help others and show them God’s love? Maybe you have a toy car, a book, or a game you can share. Maybe you can sing or bake or write a thoughtful note to someone. No matter how small it is, Jesus can use whatever you’re willing to share for His glory.

Today’s Key Verse:
John 6:9 Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many? (NIV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Let Jesus use what you have