How full is your barn?

I just got back from a road trip to Middlebury, Vermont. As I drove through at least seven different states, I was blown away by the amount of land. What struck me most were all the barns. These were working farms with plenty of crops, barns, silos and land everywhere.

Have you ever thought about the ‘plenty’ in your life? Those barns and all that hay, somehow got me thinking about my own “barn”, if you know what I mean.

As a little girl, I spent most of my summers at my grandma and grandpa’s. They had a farm, crops, horses and hogs. And of course, they had a barn.

As a child, me and my cousins loved playing in that barn. There was this old rope that hung from one of the rafters. If we climbed high enough on the stacked hay, we could jump to the rope and swing out, dropping into a cushion of scratchy hay.

When we weren’t climbing up in that barn, I could typically be found feeding mill from my hand to the horses or chasing the wild kittens. There was so much to do in that barn. Oh the fun we had. No wonder I love old barns.

At lunchtime, Grandma would call us in. There were always guests around her table. Grandma was the best cook with plenty of biscuits, butter, jelly, green beans and fried chicken to go around.  My grandparents were not wealthy but they sure had plenty.

The Bible says, “Honor the Lord with your wealth, then your barns will be filled with plenty.”

The definition of plenty is “an abundance …” There was always an abundance on the farm.

Deuteronomy 28:8  says, “The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to.”

Back in the day, what you “put your hand to” was a plow. They physically worked the land. Can you imagine how hard those old farmers must have worked? I remember my grandpa with his big work horse, plowing the fields. I never heard him complain. I never felt as if they were going with out. If anything, there was always more than enough. There was plenty.

Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, ²⁴ since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

 My grandparents modeled the christian life. They were not working for themselves. They were working for the Lord, serving Christ and serving others.

I’m not sure they knew it, but we kids, we were watching. I watched them work. I watched them cook. I watched them share their food with their neighbors. Every time someone new moved into the neighborhood, my grandmother was the first to be at their door with a fresh baked loaf of bread in hand. Welcoming. Sharing. The Lord must have sent a blessing upon their barns because there was always plenty.

My mother tells a different story. That there really wasn’t all that much. But they made it work. To me, it felt like more than enough. But I was just a child. I am thankful that it felt like plenty.

Paul in Philippians tells us, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

It is the plenty of Christ that fills our souls to overflowing. My grandparents figured this out early on. So that in their time of need, they appeared content and in their time of plenty, they were grateful. Thank you God for sending your blessings upon our barns that generations later we are still benefiting.  

So, how full is your ‘barn’? If there is plenty, I would encourage you to be grateful and share. And if there is not, I pray you are content, knowing that whether in plenty or in want, you can do all things through the Christ that strengthens you.

Let us pray,

Father God, teach me how to be content in all circumstances. Help me to realize that whatever I do, I am working unto YOU. Thank you that you are the provider of all things. In Jesus Name, Amen. -M