In the South, when we say something don't amount to a hill of beans, we mean that particular something is worth nothing. For anyone that's grown green beans in a garden, it's common knowledge that whether they are grown on a bush or on a pole, once they start growing, they produce plentifully. Basic economics teaches the law of supply and demand. When something is abundantly available, it's cost diminishes. Hence, the meaning behind this saying.
Author, Castle Freeman, Jr. wrote in The Old Farmer's Almanac, "Beans are easy to , grow and when they produce, they arrive not in convenient increments but in a tidal wave."
I am looking so forward to March when I can begin sowing my green bean seedlings in my garden. Last year's crop was wonderful and I have high hopes for this year's. Thinking about the abundance that will eventually be produced by these tender green shoots causes me to reflect on life.
Jesus very often used farming analogies in his parables because in an agrarian society, the meaning was easily understood. While my backyard garden may not yield a bumper crop, my life can. By choosing each day to cultivate love, to grow grace, and water wisdom, our lives can produce a huge harvest of joy and peace. And those yields are worth much more than beans.
Lord, help me focus on nurturing and cultivating qualities that impact the world for good and for Your glory. Make my life meaningful. Amen.
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