Giving Leftovers

Matthew 25:40 (NLT) - And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters you were doing it to me!’

I had what I call an ‘ah-ha’ moment yesterday.  You may have seen the light bulb blinking over my head.  As I closed my vegetable garden this week, I harvested a bunch of kale for the food cupboard.  My kale production this year was plentiful and I’m frankly tired of finding ways to use it or give it away.  I was relieved to be rid of a huge bag I didn’t have to wash and cook.

That is all wrong – completely backwards!

I should have been stripping my garden every other week for the food cupboard instead of giving them the leftovers.  Within 3 or 4 days my garden would have produced more and I may have actually enjoyed a few days without kale (zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes).  My giving was convenient, not generous.

Interestingly, others jump to rationalize my actions:  “You’re feeding a family.”  “You don’t want to run out.”  Why are we touched by self-sacrificing acts of kindness we hear about on the internet but hesitant to encourage such radical gestures?  Why, when a friend feels called to give sacrificially, do we point out the logic against it?  I’m talking about vegetables, not a kidney.

Jesus calls us to a generosity that doesn’t make sense in this world economy.  I gave Jesus leftovers.