The gleanings of a field are whatever is left after the reapers have harvested. This may be produce that the reapers overlooked or that was too immature to harvest at the time. The book of Leviticus says that farmers (and most people in 1500 BC were farmers) should see their gleanings not as a way to further enrich themselves but as excess properly used to help the poor.
Since I work in the software services industry I can’t apply this passage to myself literally. But if this passage is viewed as an example of how good people should think about those around them who are in need, then how can I apply this allegory to my work? What can I do that would be equivalent to leaving the unharvested edges of my field for those in need? What are the gleanings of my work that I should refrain from enjoying myself so that those less fortunate than me can have a chance at them?
I think that I need to start by mapping the elements of the allegory to my own situation. So here’s what I’m thinking:
- The land
- The skills, abilities, equipment, knowledge, or whatever other asset you can use to support yourself. In my case that’s designing and developing software, and a few other tech-related skills.
- The field
- The part of your land you have chosen to use to support yourself. This is how much of your self and your stuff you’re going to invest in earning a paycheck. Just as a farmer can do a good or bad job selecting which part of his land to cultivate, you can also do a good or bad job selecting a vocation and then applying your skills, abilities, equipment, knowledge, or whatever it is you use to advance or maintain your career. For me, I’m using almost all the logical and mathmatical thought that my brain can provide, though I have some people skills that are mostly lying fallow. I work that field for about 45 hours per week, which rises to a little over 50 hours when commuting is figured in.
- The harvest
- The remuneration you receive for your labor. In my case, that’s a paycheck that would support a family of five or six. We’re using it to support only three, plus my wife works part time, so we’re comfortable.
- The poor and the alien
- Those who do not have a field of their own, or whose compensation for their work is not sufficient to support them.
The size and fertility of the land you start with is what’s given. How much of that land we choose to cultivate is the first choice we have to make. What you decide to grow there is the second, and will effect how much time you must put into watering, weeding, and general labor.
Tina and I have started with some very good land. We both came into the marriage as professionals, so we each had a cultivated field when we started. And believe me, we’ve got enough growing on this land to keep us busy from morning to night all week long. We’ve got jobs, one kid and one on the way, church activities, volunteer activities, friendships, and cultural events. That makes a pretty full life for the people who own the field. But still, what do those with no field get to glean from our busy lives? What should they get to glean?
I’m not sure yet. I’m still working on this one. The easy answer is that I reap a harvest of paychecks so I should think myself to have cared for the poor and the alien if I donate some money to a charity or two. But I do more than earn money! I’ve learned a lot getting to where I am: I should teach someone part of what I know. I’ve received kindness from many great friends: I should show kindness to someone with none. I’ve got strong, loving relationships with my spouse, my parents and my children: I should be strong for someone who is alone; I should love someone who is not loved.
Like I said, I’m still working on this one. I do okay ensuring that the poor and the alien receive the gleaning of my paycheck, but I don’t think I’m making enough of my time or of my person available to those who may need it.