Rev. Ray and Pat Amos
Receiving and Harvesting Inspiration, Faith, and Love from Others
“When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. It is the same with your grape crop—do not strip every last bunch of grapes from the vines, and do not pick up the grapes that fall to the ground. Leave them for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the LORD your God.” Leviticus 19:9-10
Many folks have benefited from gleaning. It may not have been a necessity, but it sure did make life a little better. We have been blessed by folks who grow more than they need in their garden; then give 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 something of their life with us.
Do you remember houses that 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 or “knick-knack” had a story that made it unique. Just being in the house was like living in a storybook of chapters written and being written. If you were visiting and complimented something in the house, you usually got a story that began with, “That belonged to my …..”
Think of 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. I call it, “Gleaning from fields of love.”
What are we leaving for others to pick up along the way? We know that God has not given us all these things just so we can say, “I am blessed.” There are others who will walk across our fields. Has the Lord not said to leave a little extra for them?
“To whom much is given, much is required.” I hope that those who follow us can offer future generations some kindness, goodness, and even a bit of wisdom, that they picked up in our Fields of Love.
“Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God hath done.
Count your blessings, name them one by one. And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.”
Grace and Peace, Rev Ray
