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A certain man bought an old, empty wooden barrel. It looked tired as it leaned to one side. Its staves were shrunk from the heat of the sun. That sun was now showing through the open spaces between the staves. The metal hoops were loose and helpless.
The man brought a bucket of water, which he poured into his barrel. He wasn't surprised to see the water rapidly, spill out through the several cracks. Nor were we, until he did the same thing the next day! Daily, he carried the full bucket of water to his barrel, poured it in and walked away. Day after day as new water was poured in, it coursed out through the open spaces.
Days became weeks. The buckets of water became a flow. (This seemed to be a lesson in futility), but, although the water still, "went to waste", some of the water stayed in the barrel! And, importantly, flowed out more slowly through the space between staves!
Patiently, the man watered this old barrel even as the staves began to take their old form. The wooden cells rounded out and filled with moisture. The old staves slowly approached each other. Some days water would began to puddle on the bottom, then slowly, wicked up the sides of the barrel.
When the staves touched each other they began to swell outward until held in the tight embrace of the metal hoops! (Coopers)
One day, when the man dumped his bucket of water into
the barrel, it splashed on to yesterday's water! The water was leaking so slowly now,
that the old barrel was filling up! Soon, came the day, when! There wasn't room for a bucket of water! Filled to the brim, the barrel over flowed and water ran down the outside!
Who is the man? What do we know of him? What two Biblical, things, may the water and barrel represent? (There is more than one correct answer.) Malachi 3:10 1st. Tim 1:14 2nd Cor. 9 10-15 (Find more verses that might support this true story.) What did the story mean to you? Did you 'see' the word picture? nw |
