Rev. Ray and Pat Amos
We Have Gleaned – What Witness Are We Leaving for Others
As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Let her gather among the sheaves and don’t reprimand her. Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.”
“Ruth 2:15-16”
Like Ruth, many of us have benefited from gleaning. It may not have been a necessity (as it was for Ruth), but it sure did make life a little better. Most of us have been blessed by folks who grew more than they needed in their garden; then gave much of it away. “Hand me down” clothes were once a way of life that kept everyone dressed. I could not begin to recount all the kindnesses that Pat and I have gleaned over the years from people who have shared some of their life with us.
Do you remember when houses where decorated and furnished with a collage of things gleaned from others? Almost everything in the house came from family and friends. Each piece of furniture, dishes, and the“knick-knacks” had a story that made them unique. Just being in the house was like living in a storybook of chapters written and being written. If you were visiting and complimented one of those things, you usually got a story that began with, “That belonged to my …..”
Imagine all the bits and pieces of Christian living that we received from others who left a little inspiration, faith, and love for us to pick up. Each piece helped form who we are as Christians.
What are we leaving for others to pick up along the way? Someone has said that we are blessed so that we can be a blessing. “To whom much is given, much is required.” I hope that those who follow us have found some kindness, goodness, and even a bit of wisdom, that they picked up in our field. This song says it well:
“After all our hopes and dreams
have come and gone,
and our children sift thru all
we’ve left behind,
may the clues that they discover,
and the memories they uncover,
become the light that leads them,
to the road we each must find.
May those who come behind us find us faithful.”
Grace and Peace, Rev Ray
Link to YouTube Video – Find Us Faithful
