How can we turn a little into a lot? Elisha shows us the way

When I'm reading the bible, one thing that never fails to amaze me is how timeless so many of the struggles and conflicts in it are. There is a tendency in this modern age to think about biblical times as an almost entirely different world, a fanciful time of camels, robes, and kings. 

But, the stories in the bible are as human as it gets, and no matter how many miles you put on us as a species, we're still human.

Take for example the story of Elisha and the widow. It's a sad story - a devote family is left reeling in the wake of their father's death. The father was a good and honest man who walked with the Lord . But, that didn't insulate the man or his family from the more mundane struggles of life. After his passing, the family slipped into poverty, and it wasn't long before their creditor started to twist the knife. When Elisha meets the widow, she is at her lowest point, torn by grief and worry. Her creditor is threatening to come any day now and collect her two sons, all she has left, and sell them into slavery to pay the debt down.

How savage. How ruthless. Yet, this kind of plight is something we still see every single day. Good people are still trampled under the hooves of poverty and debt. Families are still ruined everyday by predatory loans with crushing interest rates that make escaping from debt impossible. Homes are repossessed, children flung out into the street with no more than a "sorry about your luck.”

Yet, the bible also teaches us what we can do about such casual horror by way of Elisha's example. When Elisha heard this woman's plight, he didn't shrug and say "that's how it is” no, he took pity on the woman, and what's more, he turned to the Lord in the spirit of charity and mercy. He asked her what she had, and she replied "Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, "except a small jar of olive oil.”

He replied, "Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”

And when she did, her jars of oil overflowed. She filled jars until there were none left to fill, allowing her to pay off the debt and provide for her family. 

What did Elisha do? With God's power working through him, he performed a miracle, sure. But, at it's core, he turned a little into a lot.

We may not be able to perform miracles, but we can still accomplish the same thing. While some days we may look at what we have and think we only have a little, that we can't really help anyone. But I tell you the truth, when you give a little in the spirit of charity and mercy, the Lord is able to turn it into a lot. Even just a few dollars can make such a difference in the life of the poor and vulnerable. A little can provide a meal when otherwise someone would go hungry. A little can put a roof over someone's head for a night when otherwise they would have had to take their chances on the street. A little, with the help of the Lord, can keep a family together through tough times.

The struggles in the bible are as human and timeless as things get, but so are the solutions. Learn from Elisha, turn a little into a lot.