Article April 22, 1996 Issue

Giving something to others—and not depriving yourself!

Marguerite E. Buttner

Occasionally we hear of restaurants, markets, or food-processing plants that make unsold perishables available to impoverished people. Some farmers allow those in need to pick up produce dropped during harvesting of crops. This act of gleaning, that is, following reapers to take what is left, was a customary practice, and the idea is still one worthy of consideration.

A beautiful story of gleaning is told in the Bible in the book of Ruth. A young widow, Ruth trusted God and returned to her mother-in-law's homeland with her, even though Ruth would be a stranger there. Ruth became a gleaner. With no means of support, she took advantage of the custom of allowing gleaners to follow the reapers in the barley fields. This requirement on those raising food crops was mentioned in Deuteronomy: "When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the window" (24:21). So, as in Ruth's case, extra was left behind on purpose to provide for the needy.

In our own time when many people feel hard pressed to gather what they can for themselves, we may ask if it's really possible to gather and still leave something for others without depriving ourselves. The answer depends on where we think our supply of good comes from. Does what we need really come from a job, from money, from other people? Or does it come through the exercise of spiritual qualities—love, intelligence, gratitude, vitality, integrity? The origin of these qualities is Spirit, God. Our supply of good comes to us because we are His reflection, and reflect His abundant good.

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