“Gleaning” in the 21st Century

March 26, 2010

Ruth
A few months ago, I was reading a book that referenced the Biblical concept of “gleaning.”   The laws of gleaning taught farmers to leave on the ground what was not collected on the first harvesting attempt.  This would provide something for the poor, foreigners, orphans, and widows to pick up (Lev. 19:9-10; Deut. 24:19-22).

As I considered this concept, I realized that, proportionately speaking, far fewer of us work the land at this time in the history.  And poor travelers don’t tend to roam fields looking for scraps—they would probably get arrested for trespassing!  So how can I carry out the gleaning concept for my family in 21st century suburbia?

I realized that the “gleanings” of my family are things like clothes that aren’t being worn, household items that aren’t being used, books that aren’t being read, and toys long forgotten. In the past, we sometimes joined the neighborhood garage sales to “move that merchandise” and put a few bucks in our pocket so we could do something fun. Now our family’s mindset has shifted to giving those good-quality, gently-used items to local ministries that are helping to meet the needs of the poor. And it has really been fun to bag up and box up items that we know will get valuable use by needy families.

I’m definitely not against garage sales (my wife continues to find great bargains at them!), but I am enjoying the shift in my own heart as we’ve taken a new approach.  And if God owns it all anyway, why not spread the use of the resources for which I’ve been a “steward” for a season?

Question: What are ways you’ve seen God challenge you in the area of your possessions?

Rich Dundore
Development Director
Keynote


{ 2 comments }