Bartering

Trade, exchange, negotiate, haggle these are words used to explain that bartering is simply giving and receiving.

We had a friend, from our church, named John, who would often ask my husband to help him in his enterprises. John had two brothers and two sisters. In their youth, their mother became a widow, so the five young children gained after school and week jobs to help the family budget. The boys in their teens would take on painting work, the girls baby sitting, or selling products.

John later became a baker working in a bakery at night. This gave him freedom to earn money in other ways during the day.

One day John asked my husband to help him purchase small trailers and fix them up. I had some drapery remnants and sewed some curtains for the windows, and Robert painted the insides. John would place the trailers in a friend’s mobile home park, and rent them out. Some he sold for double or more from the purchased price, and he would collect payments over a period of time. Thus John could purchase more trailers. The World War II military men were especially happy to have a reasonable priced place to house their family as they were shipped out over seas.

John began to save his money and to purchase houses in his neighborhood for low down payments, and the rent would pay for the mortgage. Some of the houses were from Estate sales, and often there was furniture or other items left in the homes. John asked Robert to help him paint the homes prior to renting them.

One year John sold Christmas trees and asked Robert to lend a hand. For all the labor, we did during several years; we did not receive any monetary gain. However during that time, John gave us a Christmas tree, an older Cadillac car, an upright piano, and a 30 year old dining room table and chairs.

During our married life, we have had a mish mash of furniture because of a lack of finances.  John noticed that we were using a picnic table and benches for our dining room, and I suppose that is why he decided to give us the dining table made from maple wood.

While at first I did not appreciate my table, I learned to be rather fond of it, and to enjoy the fact that the two end extensions would enable us to serve a large group of family and friends.

Bartering is often something done between club members, or between friends. There are bartering groups that trade professional services for a variety of other services.

God was the Apex of bartering, when He proclaimed, I will give the World my Son to save them from their Sins, and I will ask in return that they will give me their life. That is quite an exchange; our old sinful life in exchange for His new Eternal Life.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.