I’m Glad We Didn’t Build a Storehouse

And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 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 all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ‘

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

“This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:16-21)

This past week was one of many thoughts. Not all good, not all coherent, and not all complete. Yet the single thought that comes back most repeatedly and seems to flash most brightly is this: I’m sure glad we didn’t build a storehouse lately.

Remember this picture from last month? Seems like a lifetime ago. But the image has returned. 

There will be more to learn from the layoffs, though not just as an observer this time, but as a participant. This time, the sign’s not only in front of my building, but apparently also in front of my cubicle. 

My office has become the latest casualty as the market rumbles down the highway in its insatiable quest for more growth, more productivity, more efficiency. My department is the next to be relocated to a more efficient venue.

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With this sitting on my lap, I reread Luke 12. The parable of the rich fool. It’s a story of greed, of misplaced priorities. 

But it’s more than that. The story of the rich fool’s greed is bookended by sparrows on one side, lilies on the other. Both are an encouragement not to worry. To trust Him to care for us, down to the littlest details. 

So the story of the fool’s greedy tightfistedness is also an encouragement to us to be open-handed. To allow God free reign to use the resources He’s blessed us with in His way, not ours. 

And not to worry with that because He’s got us covered just like the sparrows. And the lilies.

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Whether we want to hold our stuff tightly for our own pleasure or our own security, He is determined that we not permit it to consume us in worry. 

He is determined that we hold treasure that is not about possessions but is about the wealth of our relationship with Him.

He is determined that if our hands are tightly clenched it is in hanging on to Him, not to our possessions. 

For if our treasure is tied up in Him, worry is just not that compelling anymore. 

I’m enough of a cynic not to have been completely shocked when the other shoe dropped last week. Not wanting to hear the Voice saying “You fool!” has always kept me from believing paychecks and bank accounts will always be there. Or fully meet our needs.

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So I look again at the remnants of this shoe on the floor and I am disappointed. 

But not devastated. 

Unsettled. But not undone. 

There is a peace that passes understanding. It defies explanation. Goes beyond comprehension. 

And I’m experiencing some of that, inexplicably, right now.

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