Freegans

If you saw the Oprah show yesterday you probably learned the term freegans. I had never heard it before, but I could totally be one. They go thru trash to get groceries not because they don't have money, but as a way to protest against the waste of food and resources. It really wasn't gross at all. Everything they got was pretty much packaged and clean. It really got me thinking about how much we consume, but specially how much I have changed in this area. When I first came here I was literally offended by the amount of food that was just thrown away. I really had a hard time with it, and just the waste in general. I remember arguing with a friend because she had about 30 t shirts and I told her it was ridiculous. After a few years I finally came to terms with it and realized that it wasn't their fault. People have grown up in abundance and really that's all most people know.
I still never throw food away, I just can't. If I have to eat left overs for 3 days I do it. But I can't throw food away when I know that Jake's little friend in Costa Rica, Roberto only gets 2 meals a day if he's lucky. And sometimes he only gets saltine crackers and coffee for breakfast. I have gotten bad about other things like clothes and shoes, and just stuff that we really don't need.
And I don't think that we should be mindful about how much we consume or how much food we throw away just to go against a system or this lifestyle. But because as Christian we should be good stewards not just of our money but everything we have. I've been studying Matthew and it's interesting how even Jesus after feeding the 5,000 and the 4,000 collected the leftovers. He could have multiplied more food for the disciples later, but He chose to save the leftovers!!