People were searching for Jesus on foot when He withdrew from the crowd. When Jesus saw the crowd, He was moved with pity and responded to their needs. Towards the evening, the disciples wanted Jesus to dismiss the crowd to enable them to go to the villages to buy themselves some food. Jesus dismissed their objection and told the disciples themselves to give the people something to eat. Their answer suggested that such a thing was not possible. All they had were five loaves and two fish.
The disciples felt hopeless before the hungry crowd. Jesus told them to count their blessings. After all, they were not empty-handed because they had five loaves and two fish. It seldom happens that we are without any assets, yet we do not consider these because we notice only what is lacking. Every person has qualities which deserve appreciation, and which can be developed. When we face a difficult situation, we hopefully start by looking for our assets instead of giving up in despair.
