Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
In 1981, Herman Ostry purchased a farm near the small town of Bruno, Nebraska. During extremely heavy rains a few years later it flooded. Ostry found more than two feet of water covering the floor of his barn and knew something had to be done. He got a bid to have the barn moved, but the cost was prohibitive. Herman’s son Mike devised a different plan. He calculated the load structure and weight of the barn and devised a grid constructed of steel tubing. Word was put out among the community and on July 30, 1988, nearly 350 people showed up to help. Using the grip points welded on to the frame, they picked up the barn and carried it more than 100 feet up a hill and set it on a new foundation. Because there was so much help, each person was only lifting about fifty pounds of the overall weight.
The work God has given us to do is far more than any of us could accomplish alone. His purpose and vision truly has a global scope. “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). While each of us is responsible for doing our own part, the scale of the task requires us to work together. Each of us have a unique set of talents, spiritual gifts, resources and experiences that allow us to contribute what no one else can. When we join hands together the work becomes possible. As we each lift our “fifty pounds,” we find that we can accomplish great things for God.
