Relearning the concept of gleaning

Apparently nearly 11 years ago, God brought the concept of gleaning before me (see the original post here). And, again this concept has crossed my thinking.

In thinking about our budget for the year ahead we have tried to anticipate expenses and prepare for the unknown. In addition, we want to give as much as we can.

In Old Testament days one way that they cared for those in need involved the practice of gleaning. They wouldn't meticulously strip every inch of their field, but would leave the edges and some extra for those in need to come through and retrieve.

Again, I face the question -- How do I practice gleaning in the present age?

First, I dug in more deeply to the reasoning and methods they used.
- helped the poor
- involved some work on their part
- required giving what was of value
- gleaning meant the farmer chose to let go of what was his

I have more thoughts to add to my original post as far as how we accomplish that.

Declutter. I've heard that the average American family can get rid of 2/3 of their possessions and still have enough to live on. Two-thirds!?! That's a lot of stuff. Certainly I can set aside time weekly to box up items no longer needed and pass along to someplace that will put them to good use.

Declutter more, and more, until it hurts a bit. Gleaning isn't just getting rid of non-essentials. It is removing some items we could still use and value. Not critical life needs, but maybe I don't really need to keep all 40 tops that I own ( I just counted). Have you ever stopped to count how many shirts, pants, socks, etc. you have? Meanwhile, some people wish they had a few more to relieve them from doing laundry every few days. I could get rid of 10-20 of those and still be just fine. More than fine, really.

Tighten the belt. This might not be fun, but I kinda set myself up for a little challenge this year, and I'm excited to see how it plays out. Within our budget we have a few categories that we carry over to subsequent years to help save up for big expenses (car purchase, major house repairs, college costs, etc.) But, we have a few categories that we just budget what we expect to need that year - clothing, groceries, misc/recreation. In those budget areas we usually just drop any excess (usually minimal) into savings. This year, anything extra in those categories is going to be given away. I honestly can't wait to see how much it adds up to! It makes me want to skip going out to eat next week, to simplify our grocery list, and put off that new pair of gym shoes. I don't care if my toe is starting to poke through, they have some life left.

An article recently schooled me a bit on my own tendency to give what is easy. The author's experience with poverty instilled an unshakeable generosity in her heart, but her interaction with her daughter was closer to my perspective. When pulling food out of the pantry for the food drive she looked for items she didn't like or had a lot of, or the off brand items.

Can I give my best? The expensive item I bought for a special occasion. Our favorite brand of pasta or peanut butter or cake mix. It's easy to send off the store brand that we bought cuz it was too cheap to pass by. I appreciate the point that true generosity instills worth in the recipient.

That could be a good test. Before you pat yourself on the back for how much you are giving away, put yourself in the recipient's shoes. Would you feel loved to receive this donation? Is it that good?

We can give away the old stuff, too. Someone would be grateful to have it instead of it ending up in a landfill, but for our stretching and their self-worth, I need to work harder to give away things of value to me, too.