The Word in the Wings
The Word in the Wings > The Humility of The Little Loaf
The Humility of The Little Loaf
By: Audrey Hammitt
Glorify Dance Theatre’s fall MainStage show is called “The Little Loaf,” which is a story of humility and generosity. I play the role of Greta, a young girl who faces a choice between being greedy, proud, and impatient like the people around her, or embodying the selflessness, humility, and patience of Jesus. As Greta finds out by the end of the story, it is far more rewarding to honor God with our lives than to strive for earthly rewards.
While Greta likely had practiced being humble before the beginning of this story, her humility is tested when a famine strikes, killing the town’s crops—their means of livelihood. She questions how they will survive and is tempted to worry about her life and the people she cares about. In response to the famine, a rich baker decides to give out one loaf of bread to each child to take home to their families each day. When Greta joins the line (that forms more of a mob), she finds herself on the outskirts of the group of children fighting for the biggest loaf of bread. By the time she reaches the baker, there is only one loaf, smaller than all the rest, left in the basket. Yet, Greta thanks the baker, and gratefully accepts the loaf. Soon, Greta’s friends tease and mock her little loaf, urging her to be like them and fight to get a big loaf next time. The baker observes these interactions and makes a plan with her assistant to reward Greta’s patience, gratitude, and kindness by baking coins into the smallest loaf of the next day’s batch of bread.
The next morning, all the children come to get bread, just as frantically and greedily as the first day, but Greta remains as patient as the previous day. With the smallest loaf in hand after thanking the baker, Greta sits down to enjoy a picnic with her friends. Before long, Greta breaks open her little loaf, and coins clink out of it onto the picnic blanket! Greta tries to return the money, believing the baker dropped it into the dough by mistake, but the baker explains that she intended to bake the coins into Greta’s loaf to reward her good behavior. After seeing how Greta’s patience and graciousness were rewarded, all of Greta’s friends feel sorry for being rude and ungrateful and decide to finally thank the baker and treat each other more kindly. Greta and her friends received a taste of the rewards God has in store for the meek, “for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).
Greta’s worldview shapes how she carries herself and her dancing. When she dances, her focus is off being better than those around her, and on being the best she can be, enjoying the day through the gift of dancing. Her joy is not dependent on the praise of others or getting her leg higher than the girl next to her. Rather, the choreography is such that she often builds upon her own movement, i.e. a developpé of a leg repeated three times, getting higher each time. Greta’s security in the strength God has given her expands my own definition of what humility looks like. Being humble doesn’t mean we are weak, for Jesus was fully God and no less powerful while He was fully human. He humbled Himself by obeying the Father, but He was not a push-over. He stood for the truth of God’s Word and performed countless miracles, yet he did not arrogantly show off His infinite power. The second chapter of Philippians beautifully describes Jesus’ humility; verses 5-8 say,
“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, assuming human likeness. And being found in appearance as a human, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.”
"By His undeserved death, we receive his undeserved favor and life."
When I consider the kinds of things Greta would be feeling throughout this ballet, one significant element is her physical hunger. I can imagine her stomach growling loudly, even as she is trying to remain patient for her loaf of bread each day. Personally, I know how much more impatient I get when I’m hungry (some would call it being hangry). So, the patience Greta expresses despite her intense hunger challenges me to not let my own physical hunger overpower my hunger for righteousness. In addition, when we see others getting what we want (whether that is a house, a marriage, a new job, a child, etc.) it is easy to become ungrateful for what we currently have. This discontentment is evident in Greta’s friends, who harbor jealousy and insecurity. However, these friends (and all of us) must remember that God is so generous that His gifts to others neither negate our own, nor leave Him with less to give us. Everything is the Lord’s, and like the questions Jesus poses in the parable of the landowner hiring laborers for his vineyard in Matthew 20, “‘Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’”(Matt. 20:15). If we aren’t careful, we can hold the misconception that we deserve more than death and hell because of our sin. This then makes us consider it an injustice against us when we don’t get what we want or when we want it. When we correctly understand the infinitely generous grace God has offered to us through Jesus, we can rightly consider our work, relationships, and possessions as completely unearned blessings. By His undeserved death, we receive His undeserved favor and life.
I believe Greta’s gentle character is the fruit of the Spirit in her, which blooms as she obeys her Lord throughout her life. Further, when she finds the coins in her loaf, she could have easily clung to it, but instead she sought out the baker to return the money. Whether Greta is in want or in plenty, she has learned that Jesus enables her to be content in all circumstances and to bless others with the blessings she has received (see Philippians 4:11-13). Although we may not receive accolades, millions of dollars, or our dream house in this life, when we are faithful with what God has given to us and we walk humbly, we are storing up for ourselves treasures in heaven (Matt. 6:21). The Kingdom of God is often compared to small things with great value or impact, such as a pearl, a mustard seed, or a bit of leaven. I believe this ballet helps to showcase that small, seemingly insignificant acts of godliness actually are some of the most precious treasures in God’s eyes. Jesus is with you in the waiting. He is with you when you interact with that person who challenges your patience. He sees when you are mocked and overlooked. He chose to wait, to interact with vexing people, and to be counted as insignificant based on His hometown, who He surrounded Himself with, and the quiet lifestyle He lived. In the hands of our Creator, even the smallest morsel of faith can be used to make an eternal impact.
