The Crumbs

Just a crumb.
A little bit.
One tiny morsel.
That’s all she was asking Him for.

Her daughter was in great need and she knew He had the answer.
But she came, knelt before Him, and said, ‘Lord, help me!’
He answered, ‘It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to their dogs.’
‘Yes, Lord,’ she said, ‘yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table!’
Then Jesus replied to her, ‘Woman, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you want.’
And from that moment her daughter was cured. Matt 15:25-28 (HCSB)

This woman was not allowed to sit at the table. So, she crouched beneath it. She was an outsider. A stranger. A foreigner. Yet in her desperation she cried out to the one she knew could meet her needs. She cried out to Jesus. And, at first, He rejected her begging. He pointed out that she was not one of the children of God – but just an outsider – a dog.

As she looked up at him with those puppy-dog eyes, He realized that her faith was no runt of the litter. It was strong and voracious. It refused to tuck its tail between its legs because of one little kick. She continued to paw at Him. She let out another bark. She didn’t want the whole steak. In fact, she didn’t even have to have the bone. She only wanted a tiny lick, a small taste of what Jesus had to offer. She didn’t need all He had to give. She only wanted a crumb.

We often forget that, with God, crumbs are enough. We don’t have to have a mouthful of His revealed will. We don’t have to have a smorgasbord of delicacies laid out before us. That is what the world teaches us to desire. But, it is not what the Lord would have us chase after. He can bless us with even the scraps.
If faith like a tiny seed is strong enough to move mountains, then surely a few crumbs are enough to satisfy our deep hunger. Let us be content with the crumbs He gives us, knowing that the power doesn’t come from the food – but from the hands that created it. We tend to howl and whine when we don’t get the whole cake, the whole steak, the whole bone. But with the smallest amount of faith in the Master, even the tiniest crumbs are enough.