What happens if there is no toilet paper? Normally, if there is no toilet paper at home, we make a short trip to the store and buy some. It’s always on the shelf. And if it isn’t? What will we do?
I remember when toilet paper was a hot commodity. When the pandemic hit in 2020, the biggest-selling item, and arguably among the most important, leaving grocery store shelves in record sales, was toilet paper. Even those who normally insisted on two-ply resigned themselves to single-ply when there was no more two-ply to be found. Oh, how the mighty had fallen. Fights broke out in grocery store aisles as shoppers, afraid of going without the coveted item, fought over generic and popular brands.
The fear of running out of toilet paper and other necessities gripped much of the world. The uncertainty of the pandemic made many fear the “and what if” scenarios that the media broadcast daily on the news and online. What if factories close? What if agriculture comes to a halt? And what if there are no deliveries to grocery stores? The list went on and on.
And what if can make our imaginations run
The fear over the “what if” scenarios of life can make our imaginations run to strange places. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the fear over “what if” ran strong around the world. During the pandemic, airports were closed, schools went online, and the elderly (who were already isolated) went months without contact with their loved ones.
Fear, left unchecked, brings a bondage of misery like nothing else.
What if I fail the test?
What if I lose my job?
And what if my loved ones die?
And what if I am left alone?
Fearing the uncontrollable can move us to act blindly to mitigate the situation. Now there’s nothing wrong with having a supply of toilet paper and ketchup (two major necessities in our household). But there may come a time when the toilet paper runs out and the ketchup stores are depleted. What then? Does my peace rest in two-ply only?
Out of my comfort zone
If it does happen that we run out of two-ply and ketchup, we’ll figure it out. Do we want to figure it out? No. But we can adapt; by God’s grace, we can learn to adapt. Living in the adaptability that God’s grace affords us is far better than living in the fear of discomfort. Because these things, toilet paper and ketchup, are not necessities for life. They are comforts; basic as they may be, they are still comforts.
I’ve not always thought this way. But living in Africa has blessed me with perspective that would have been hard to come by living in the developed world. Over the years I have learned that what I previously thought were necessities were only luxuries. Having the two-ply toilet paper that I prefer isn’t necessary; it’s only desired. I’ve learned, and continue to learn, how to live out of my comfort zone.
You might be tired of my developing world stories. I get that. But this life, this cultural shift, has changed my perception. Perception is reality, and we all live in our own realities. Imagine what would, or could, happen if we learnt to break out of our comfort zones. What if we could learn to adapt joyfully if and when our realities changed? There’s a hidden blessing in learning to live without what we think is necessary.
And what if they don’t have the newest and coolest?
Christmas is coming. There was a time I thought we needed to have many presents under our tree. If our children went without the latest toy, the coolest trend, I thought I was failing them. As it turned out, most of the time, they did go without the newest and coolest. Of course their grandparents would come alongside us when we travelled and gave them what we couldn’t, but we weren’t always travelling. Our children, like us, had to learn to adapt. It wasn’t a failure. In fact, I have come to learn that growing up with fewer comforts led to well-adjusted adults.
It was good for them.
At the time, they didn’t think it was good. There were times, quite a few times, that they complained. Wished they had more like their friends and family in the States. But now as adults, they understand the blessing of living with what is necessary versus what is wanted.
Already on my radar
I had already begun to learn to live this way when I married Jamie. My parents moved from Finland to the USA in the early 1960s. Finland was still struggling at that time to emerge from the destruction of World War II. Both of my parents went for long periods during their childhoods without more than one extra change of clothes. When they moved to the USA with nothing in their pockets, they used what they had learned growing up. They knew how to live within their means and to be careful with their money. They lived the American dream: they worked hard, saved, bought houses, and raised their children. It wasn’t an easy road. There were more Christmases than I can count when we had only a few presents under the tree.
Doing without was something that I had learned. Not just because my parents couldn’t afford much, but because my parents understood that we didn’t need much. It was one of the greatest lessons of my life and served to prepare me for bigger lessons in Africa.
How many pairs of shoes do you need?
Enter Jamie into the equation of my life. Jamie is one of the hardest people to buy presents for. Why? Because he doesn’t want much. His motto is, “You can only wear one pair of shoes at a time. So, how many pairs of shoes do you need?” Now I have learned to enjoy more than one pair of shoes, much to Jamie’s chagrin, but not many more. The more we have, the more we have to care for. And, I being a minimalist by nature, don’t care to clean and care for clutter.
God’s grace is what gives us the strength to withstand the changing times. I’ve heard it said that the definition of grace is “strength under pressure.” This year might feel “lean” when you gather around to exchange presents. May God give you that strength to stand under the pressure. And, remember, presents aren’t supposed to be front and center at Christmas. Jesus is meant to be front and center and by His power and grace, we can learn that “it was good for me” when things don’t go as planned.
And what if He hadn’t come?
Consider Jesus. He entered this world in the humblest way. The son of a carpenter, born in a stable, and laid in a manger of hay. He, who was Divine, became man for us. There’s no record of a complaint coming from Him concerning the step down in living conditions from what He was used to in heaven. He reasoned that we were worth the effort.
But what if He hadn’t made that step down? What if He thought we weren’t the effort?
“Christ became what we are that He might make us what He is.” Athanasius of Alexandria
What a change coming to earth must have been for Him. But Jesus understood that the value in His coming was in what was ahead—the restoration of the souls of men and women to the Father. I think He would echo the sentiment of the psalmist in saying, “It was good for me that I was afflicted.” He was afflicted so we could be restored.
What a wonder Christmas is!
Leave a Reply