When
snowstorms bury the grazing lands, ranchers must feed their herds by hand. As
hay is tossed from wagons and trucks, the strongest animals bull their way to
the front. Timid or sickly animals get little or no feed unless the rancher
intervenes.
Workers
in refugee camps and food pantries report a similar pattern. When they open
their stores to those in need, the weak and timid may not make it to the front
of the line. Like the ranchers, these human lifelines must take steps to ensure
that their services reach the feeble, weary, and sick at the edge of society’s
attention.
They are
carrying out a principle set forth by God long ago. In Leviticus 19, Moses
instructed Israel’s farmers and vintners to leave portions of their crops so
the poor and the stranger could have something to eat (vv.9-10).
We too
can serve as caretakers to the weak and weary. Whether we’re teachers coaxing
quiet students to open up, workers coming alongside a struggling co-worker,
prisoners looking out for new arrivals, or parents showing attention to their
children, we have ways to honor God by helping others.
As we seek to serve those in need, may the grace of God that reached us in our need move us to reach out to others in theirs.
