“you can’t handle the truth”… that famous quote from the movie a few good men.

that’s certainly one point of view of why we don’t tell each other the truth in love…  however, there are many other reasons why it’s difficult to speak truth and life into others.  i think far too often, we want to look good in front of others, we desire friendship and don’t want to offend people.  however, i think we also underestimate how telling the truth to others gently in love can actually help them… even though it might not seem pleasant at the time.

i love the message version of ephesians 4 verses 25 and 29.

“what this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.  Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.”

go on… be a gift to others!

glean has a few definitions and the one i’m referring to is = to gather (leftover grain) after a harvest.

i wrote about this in a different context before.  today, i’m pondering what gleaning looks like in a work context.  i’m used to working to my fullest potential, to do wise deals that mean that things are pushed to it’s maximum.  but perhaps instead of acting on all the opportunities i’ve been given – i can allow gleaning to happen and to give others the opportunity they might not have.  two examples of this that are fresh in my mind were both shown to me by the same friend.

one. there was a property deal where he was fortunate to get at a good price due to some possible foundation issues. upon further inspection, those potential issues were not causing any current major issues.  he  renovated it and rented it out so the property was cashflow positive.  9 months, he then sold it gaining a 30% profit.   the agent told him that he could have probably received $40,000 more if he wanted.   i asked him why he didn’t push the price higher and he replied simply saying that he was happy with the profit and wanted to leave the buffer for the next person for the possible foundation issues.

two. we had both independently identified a great property that was going for auction and upon chatting to each other about it, he generously offered that if i wanted to buy it, he would not bid on it and let me go for it as he knew i was trying to get into this area.

these show me examples of gleaning, to decide not to do something so that others have opportunity for their own fruitful labour. it also shows me a person that realises that there are plenty of opportunities to go around.  this friend has an abundance mindset and he does not think that by being generous to someone else, he will lose out.

how about you? in what areas of your work can you allow for gleaning?

this is one word i’ve deliberately emitted out of my vocabulary.

nowadays, busy is a word used almost like an award to indicate that what you’re doing is significant, like something to brag about.  that if you live a busy life, you must be important.

according to dictionary.com, it also means you are not accessible.

don’t get me wrong. i live a full life.. but it’s intentionally filled with people i want to hang out with, things i want to do and actually, it’s full with space.

space to think, breathe, relax, sleep, recharge, read, have fun, surf, ski, play

space to spend with friends, space to spend time with God

and space for emergencies

joel a’bell had an interesting take on the old testament law of harvesting (e.g. deuteronomy 24:19), where the israelites were told not to reap the harvest of their land right to the very edges of their field… but to leave some for the poor and the alien.  so that they are able to glean from our harvest.

joel commented that some people have maxed out their time, energy, space, mentality, emotion… and as a result have nothing left for others.   i’ve experienced this when i’ve met up with some people and there have been many times where i might have wanted to share something deep with them and needed their friendship in particular times.. but as they just didn’t have time.. and over a period of time, i’ve lost touch with these people.   i don’t want to miss that opportunity to help someone.  i used to pack my schedule one after the other, but now, if i’m meeting with friends, i’ll deliberately leave space after so if our catchup goes over time for whatever reason, my schedule has allowed for that buffer.  whilst the old testament might have described the poor and needy as financially poor, i think today, there are a lot of people poor of emotional support.

 “if i harvest right to our time and emotional boundaries, than i’m not interruptible and people who need help can’t glean from me” – joel a’bell