At one time or another, in one way or another I think we have all experienced the “hangover” of over indulgence. This hangover can come from all sorts of things, over spending, over eating, over shopping, over working, over sleeping… It is a terrible feeling. This is certainly a pit fall our Lord wants us to avoid and he has the perfect remedy. Our abundant harvest, which the Lord so desires to give us, is not just for us, but is to be shared with others. What others we may ask?

Deuteronomy 24:21-22: When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.

Leviticus 23:22: "'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the Lord your God.'"

Scripture is clear that we are to share not just with family and friends but with the alien, the fatherless, the widow and the poor. Here is an irony I have observed in my own life and those around me: a generous life is a happy life or at the very least a happier life than a stingy life. Without a doubt one of the most joyful persons I have ever met is Charlotte Day. Charlotte, an American citizen, who is in her eighties, has lived in in Malawi for the last 20 years. She serves alongside the "go-go" or grandmothers who are taking care of their grandchildren because the parents have died, most often due to the Aids pandemic. Here she is living in one of the poorest countries in the world, devoted to helping the poorest of the poor and yet both she and the people to whom she ministers are so joyful. Below is part of an email I received from her just a few short days ago. At an invitation to an event at the statehouse in Zomba to which Charlotte and the Gogo grannies’ staff were invited, Charlotte and her staff expressed their joy at the event in this way.