Gleaning

I have so far to come in my walk with Christ. So often my walk with Him is more of tag, He walking steadily, I drifting away or drawing close. A constant ebb and flow of being with Him, then drifting away, drifting closer, and yet again farther away. It makes my soul ache because this is not how it is supposed to be. He and I, walking side by side, Him, carrying me, me, allowing Him to carry, reaching for my Father when the journey is just to long, to hard, to difficult. That is how it should be.

Part of this walk is learning who am I supposed to be? Who is Elizabeth supposed to be as a friend, a sister, a daughter, a girlfriend? I learn a lot by gleaning from others.

Gleaning...it's such a beautiful thing when you think about it. You read a lot about gleaning in the book of Ruth when she and Naomi are both widows. They have lost everything but each other. Empty handed. Like me. Yet God knew that those times would come. When people become widows or orphans. When girls in their twenties need role models, encouregment. So He provided. And He still does.

In Ruth's case they needed food. God had commanded the Israelites, that when they harvested their wheat, to leave anything that had fallen on the ground there so that those in need could come and pick it up. Indeed, that is how Ruth met her future husband. When she was broken. When she was relying on God to provide for her through the use of gleaning.

And I? I glean from women who are older, wiser, farther along in their walk with God than I. A lot of my gleaning comes from reading blogs from women like, Ann (http://www.aholyexperience.com/), Kristen (http://www.wearethatfamily.com/), and Shannon (http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/). They open up their hearts and lives and then, after they push the "publish post" button, I glean. I read, and a pick up on things, and I learn and I grow. Often I laugh, sometimes I cry, but always I am touched by these real life women that live their lives for Jesus, their families, and others.

I am so grateful that I am blessed by this 21st century version of gleaning.