I don't know how they did it, but my parents raised 7 kids with only one bathroom, and I can remember whey my dad put the first showerhead in the old tub. The bathroom was pretty small, and you could tell it was an add-on at some point. We did have an outhouse, but it was so far away, it was only used in the case of dire necessity. I like what John Snyder said about the outhouse, “It’s that building out back that is 100 yards too far in the winter and 100 yards too close in the summer.”
Most people these days won’t settle for less than two bathrooms. I still don’t know what that is like; except for a couple of parsonages we lived in some years ago. I heard about one mansion that had 15. We manage, however. I guess learning how to share with parents and 6 siblings paid off.
The early church knew how to share. God’s people still do. It is a good practice and demonstrates a likeness unto Christ. However, I have noticed over the years, that the poorest of people are often the most generous. Jesus told a story that demonstrated this.
Luke 12:16-21 (NKJV)
16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.
17 And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?'
18 So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry." '
20 But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'
21 So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.
17 And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?'
18 So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry." '
20 But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'
21 So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
Notice how many times this man used the personal pronoun “I”. Notice how much he talked to himself and about himself. Also notice, that he never once considered sharing his overabundance of crops. He could have at least sold it at a bargain price. He only spent more in order to store it (He must have worked for the government!), and what for, only to die and leave it. Plus, he would now answer to God. One more thing to note, there are riches not of this world, and that is to be “rich toward God.” Whether one has a lot of possessions or not, he or she can possess those kinds of riches (Matthew 6:19-20). 03-2-09
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