Last Friday the winter wheat field near our house was combined, harvesting the grain and leaving the long, topless stalks piled in rows. Yesterday the farmer came back and gathered what was left into chopper wagons. To this once very much a city girl, the field appeared to be completely stripped of its crop and once again awaiting cultivation. But early this morning as I stood by the window soaking up the morning sunlight and the beauty of nature surrounding our humble abode, I was met with a sight that dispelled the notion
of this field being barren. Geese were everywhere! There were at least seventy-five or more of them covering the landscape of the field, grazing and feasting on the left-overs. (Click on picture for a better view, then click the back arrow on your browser to return here.)Left-overs do provide nourishment. It’s pretty common in our household to whip up a big batch of some or another main entrée at the beginning of the week and partake of the left-overs for a meal or two (or three) during the rest of the week or…to freeze some for later use. But there’s something about that first meal that just tastes so much better.
Elijah, while fleeing into the desert for his life, found a hearth cake and jug of water provided him by God to strengthen and sustain him for his journey to the mountain (1Kings 19:4-8). Our Sacred Provider gives life-giving nourishment, the Bread of Life, to enrich and sustain us for our own journey in the person and actions of Jesus (John 6:41-51). These are not left-overs presented to us. We are continually offered the blessing of receiving the first plateful of sacred sustenance.
Not that there’s anything so wrong with partaking of or serving left-overs, but it gets me to pondering: What do I, what do we offer to others? Am I, are we, so caught up in the flurry of life, activities, schedules and agendas leaving little, if any, room or energy to offer anything but our left-over time or gifts and blessings or talents? Or…Is it a portion of the best we have that we offer – in our relationships, in giving of ourselves and our time, in charitable acts, in kindness to a stranger, in tending to the best of our ability to those in need of basic human needs or providing a compassionate listening ear that will serve to ease, heal or comfort those in need?
Peace on the Journey
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