Deacon Jude Tam Tran

THE TALE OF THREE BARRELS

“A good person brings good things out of the good stored up in their heart.” — Luke 6:45

Once upon a time—well, not that long ago, but long enough that the carpenter didn’t have a YouTube channel—a hardworking craftsman decided to cut down a huge old tree behind his workshop. The tree had been standing there so long it practically had seniority.

He wiped his brow and said to himself, “Alright, old friend. Let’s see what masterpieces we can make out of you.”

After days of carving, hammering, sanding, and the occasional “Ouch!” when he hit his thumb instead of a nail, he created three wooden barrels. Beautiful barrels. Smooth, sturdy, smelling like fresh forest air.

But little did he know… these three barrels were about to live very different lives.

The first barrel was carried off by some men in dark clothes who spoke in quiet voices. The barrel didn’t know where it was going, but the atmosphere felt… heavy.
And then, poof!—it suddenly realized its new job.

It had been turned into a coffin.

The barrel nearly fainted, except barrels can’t faint. It thought, “A coffin? Seriously? Out of all the careers I could’ve had—rain barrel, storage barrel, pickle barrel—you make me hold a corpse?!”

People avoided it like it had terrible Wi-Fi.

No one wanted to be near it.
No one wanted to touch it.

When folks saw it, they whispered, made the sign of the cross, or just changed sidewalks completely.

Poor barrel!

The second barrel was filled with water. Clean water. Suddenly, it became the most popular wooden cylinder in town.

“Fetch water!”
“Store water!”
“Carry water!”
“Don’t spill the water!”
“Why is the water warm?!”

This barrel had no rest whatsoever.

Everyone wanted to use it.
Everyone had opinions about it.

It was poked, tapped, lifted, dropped, refilled, and emptied more times than it could count.
It wasn’t glamorous, but hey—at least it wasn’t holding dead bodies.

Ah yes… the third barrel.

This one was filled with rich, fragrant wine. Immediately it became the celebrity of the carpenter’s creation.

People gathered around it like it was giving away free concert tickets.

“Wow, look at that grain!”
“How beautifully crafted!”
“This barrel must be expensive.”
“Hey, pour me another glass!”

It was praised, polished, protected, and placed in the best corner of the cellar. Folks even whispered about it:

“That’s the wine barrel. The one.”

Nobody dared scratch it. Nobody dared mistreat it. They practically bowed when they walked past.

Same wood.
Same carpenter.
Same workshop.

But three completely different destinies.
But… Why?

If the barrels could talk, they would probably start a group therapy session:

Coffin Barrel: “Why do people run when they see me?”
Water Barrel: “Why does everyone use me until I’m empty?”
Wine Barrel: “Why is everyone obsessed with me?”

“Because it’s not the barrel… it’s what’s inside.”
And that is the point.

Some people walk around feeling like the coffin barrel—unwanted, avoided, misunderstood.

Others feel like the water barrel—useful, needed, but constantly drained.

And some feel like the wine barrel—celebrated, appreciated, and uplifted.

But all three came from the same tree.

The difference wasn’t in their outward shape.

It wasn’t in the craftsmanship.
It wasn’t even in their size.
It was in what they carried.

The Bible Says the Same Thing.

“A good person brings good things out of the good stored up in their heart.” — Luke 6:45

What’s inside you shapes how you show up in the world and how the world responds to you.

Your inner beliefs, your thoughts, your perspective—they shape your identity more than your circumstances do.

Just like the barrels, two people can go through the exact same life events, but their attitudes will lead them to entirely different futures.

The carpenter carved the tree into barrels.
God shaped you with purpose.

But here’s the twist:
Unlike the barrels, you get to choose what you carry inside you.

You choose:

whether you hold bitterness or forgiveness,
whether you store anger or peace,
whether you carry fear or faith,
whether you fill yourself with negative words… or with hope.

You might not choose where you were “crafted,” or what family you came from, or what struggles shaped you—but you do choose what fills your inner life.

And what you choose determines your destiny.
And you’ll be amazed at the future that flows from within you.