Barnabas’ Field
What fields have we
That we hold back?
What lands, what wealth,
What rich provision,
That we stand defiant, wanting
The credit yet hoarding the wealth,
Clinging on and yet feigning
To give and thus losing?
We fall ever short of the call: not
To give from compulsion, false duty, but that
In giving, we give with only true hearts,
Only giving that which is honestly given.
Ever in the sidelines, Barnabas gives
Not his wealth, not possessions, but himself.
In the field where he sowed encouragement, he
Reaps a harvest of plenty in truth.
The Consolations of Writing 