Gleaners

Talking to Bill the other day about being middle class and able to afford nicer things, vs. being a cheapskate and grabbing up every deal and free thing that you can find. I came to realize that as I make a decent middle class living, I can afford to leave some things to others who aren't where I've gotten to. For example, if there's a dime on the ground in a parking lot, for most of my life, I can say I would pick it up. Now I think "Naw, I'll leave that for some kid to find". As I look for a used car, sometimes a cheap price draws me in, but then I tell myself "No, you're in a different place in life. That would make a good first car for some student. You can afford to leave that for someone else."

It was in that conversation that I realized there's a Biblical concept for that: gleaning...or maybe NOT gleaning. Leviticus 19:9-10: "Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the Lord your God." (NASB)

My cheap Mennonite roots are strong, but I think it is Biblical to leave some of the bargains for those who can't afford better.
-J

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