So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here” (Ruth 2:8).

Gleaning fields in ancient Israel was hard work – with a lot of bending down and, hopefully, by when the work was done, coming up with an abundant armful of grain, sufficient for the needs of the day. 

The picture of Ruth bending down to glean reminded me of my days as a mother to two young boys. There was a lot of bending down to pick them up, as well as their abandoned toys, or a trail of Cheerios. On occasion, when we would be out and about, and I’d be juggling multiple kiddos, their bags, bottles and blankets, I would hear someone say, “You sure have your hands full.” To this I would often reply (whether I felt it in the moment or not), “Yes, my hands are full of love.”

The declaration that my hands were “full of love” reminds me of Ruth’s story: oftentimes, bending down is the way to come up full of the abundant goodness of God, be it in the form of needed barley or needy boys! 

When we sense the emptiness in our own hands, it is sometimes the way that God helps us to bend low to find His provision. Ruth’s story begins with her empty hands – no husband, no home, no status. Yet, out of devotion to Naomi, she chose to humbly bend down and pick up whatever God provided: her bereaved mother-in-law; an uncertain journey into an unguaranteed future; hard work gleaning.

Recently, we recalled how Jesus bent low to wash the Disciples’ feet as a demonstration of love and service toward one another. Then, in obedience to the Father, Jesus placed Himself in the lowest position possible when He literally gave His life as a substitute for yours and mine. His “bending down” - and our learning to follow Him - allows us allows us to come up fuller than we could ever imagine. 

When we feel depleted, in whatever way, whether emotionally, physically, spiritually, Boaz models the invitation we receive from our Heavenly Father. Don’t go searching elsewhere for someone or something else to fill you. Our Father desires us to come to Him and experience His abundance like we never thought possible! 

In what area(s) of your life do you find it difficult to see God’s abundance? Ask Him to show you how you might need to bend down low in order to come up full.