It’s parent/teacher conference time across education-land. I was so pleased to get the good report that my grandsons are earning a reputation for being peacemakers and leaders. I wasn’t surprised. Their parents are both good examples of caring for others, taking the stray under their wing, in general living a lifestyle of giving to others.

I’ve been reading in Leviticus ( I know, yikes). But in chapter 19 one of God’s foundational laws for His people told them to refrain from harvesting all of their crops. They were to leave the corners of the fields for the needy. They were to harvest only once and leave the gleanings for the stranger. I love that. From the beginning, God cared for those in need and instructed His people to allow for them to have a way to live.

Roger is in India right now. Teams India is all about caring for and serving the poor. It’s a tricky business, we don’t always get the results we want, but God didn’t say to help only when it’s convenient or when we get exactly the results we envision. He just said to do it. The same is true in our own communities. We’re to give and share of our time, possessions and wealth.

I’m proud that my children, their spouses and my grandchildren know how to be givers. They allow room for others to live and are willing to give second chances. They understand that their well-being isn’t entirely earned– they were born in a land of plenty and raised in families that gave them opportunity. They’re willing to reach out and help others find their footing.

“Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, neither shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest…You shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger.” Let’s be people who know how to share. It’s a good thing.