And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry.” (Luke 12:16-19)
There was a time in my early twenties when I was sad and unthankful. My motto was eat, drink, and be merry. Partying brought happiness for a moment. Yesterday, a member of my Christian writing group told about her gratitude journal. Giving thanks to God, she claims, lightened her heart and reduced her inflammation and pain. Researchers discovered keeping a gratitude journal leads to a reduction in systolic blood pressure, decreased stress, and increased success in achieving personal goals. Today I started my gratitude journal. I’m thankful for the wonderful husband God blessed me with, three loving children, new glasses that enable me to see clearly and having enough money to pay for them.
Today’s scripture asks the question. If I have surplus, what will I do? Should I share and be thankful or should I build a bigger house to store my stuff and eat, drink, and be merry?
Dearest Father in heaven, thank you for giving me more than I need. Help me focus on my blessings and have faith you will guide me through hardship. I give you my cares. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen
I am trying to be a minimalist at this time in my life. I just moved to a new location and left a house that we lived in for 30 years. Drew is one step away from being a hoarder and we had so much stuff. I, too, have difficulties throwing away things or giving something to charity. However, moving made me see it all in a different way. We had to fit in a smaller house and I am really proud that we do fit. We had to throw somethings away but for the most part we were able to donate many, many things to charity. It was a good feeling to be able to give to someone else, it was a good feeling to live smaller, not bigger. I am grateful for our new smaller house and I am grateful for the place we live. I am grateful to look outside and see the most beautiful views. I vowed never to take this for granted. So, everyday I am grateful for what I have and I thank God in my prayers. I am most grateful for the people around me, my family. I am grateful that I wake up every morning and hear, “Good morning, Nonny!” If we had not moved to this house that probably would not have happened. There is a lot to think about in this parable, giving to others and being grateful for the precious gifts in our life.
Thanks for sharing. I’m glad you’re enjoying true blessings!