Many of us work so we can get a bigger house, a nicer car, and newer stuff. But in that constant quest for more, have we forgotten that this is all a gift? I just watched a new film from Nooma, a parable video that aims to give viewers a new perspective on poverty and the unfair grace of God. The film centers around the message of Deuteronomy 24:19-
19 When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. (NIV)
In the video Pastor Rob Bell asks, are these commands, or rather warnings about what happens when we stop being grateful for what we’re given? Success can be dangerous. Often we get everything we wanted only to discover we’re missing something we had back when we had very little. In order to prevent that from happening, Bell says we must be connected with a cause. If we don’t each find suffering, he says, and do something about that suffering, eventually we’ll be miserable.
Bell goes on to explain that grace isn’t fair. Redemption isn’t fair. Liberation isn’t fair. That’s why we have to remember that our overflow is someone else’s necessity. And when we give to others, a funny thing happens. It’s actually us that is blessed. We’re given joy and purpose and a full awareness that everything we have is a gift.
