Living through a pandemic has been an interesting experience for me because it is the first time that I have heard people blame things on the “Supply Chain,” as if it is your aunt that is always unpredictable, shows up with weird gifts, and is late to family gatherings. With every mention of the Supply Chain (and I capitalize this to show you how people have personified it), I experience flashbacks to Economics 101 during my freshman year of college. After the shaking stops, I start thinking about what lessons the pandemic has taught us. That really got me thinking about a better way to look at the Supply Chain.
The loss of immediate access to goods has made a lot of Westerners, especially Americans, cranky about not being able to find their favorite cereal, that special cat food or, in my case, a replacement tire for my car. I mean, come on Michelin; get it together France. I admit that we have become so used to “same day delivery,” that we have forgotten how to be grateful for a Supply Chain that seems a little clogged right now. For Christians in particular, the “Prosperity Gospel” of the 2000s has absolutely been curbed-stomped by the notion that we are all dependent on a sea of unknown people to deliver our favorite non-GMO, Gluten-Free, Certified Organic, Non-Diary Oat “Milk.” I use “milk” in actual quotes, because oats don’t have teats; thus not milk. You are welcome, Jill. Anyway.
A few years ago, I noticed that a lot of Christians started using the phrase “God’s Economy.” When I have heard this phrase is makes me smile because it is not a political statement, but rather a statement of faith. You see, folks are trying to show that God is abundant, generous, and that provision has no end. Rather than living in a world of scarcity, God’s Economy is abundance, meaning that it can expand to cover everyone, especially if we believe in abundance and help others. While that is a message in itself, the Supply Chain makes me think of God’s Economy is another way as well.
In God’s economy there is no scarcity of love. I know many of you don’t want to think of love as a commodity, and it won’t be highlighted on a cable news show by a screaming idiot tonight, but love is a thing. Love is a noun. It is something that exists. And, we actually have an abundance of it in our Supply Chain. Stop calling me corny and stick with me. Love is a migrant worker who breaks her back every day picking strawberries in California to provide for her family. Love is the farmer that invests all their assets hoping for the right amount of sun and rain so this year’s crop provides for next year’s crop. Love is local farm stand that opens at 4:30 AM. Love is the long-haul truck driver who is away from his family for days on end to deliver food to packaging plants and stores. Love is the line worker making sure that your dog food is canned and labeled properly. Love is the cold storage workers who bundle up and work in freezing conditions all day to secure the food supply. Love is the gas and oil workers who make sure that the trucks, trains, and delivery vans have fuel to get to stores, so you have bread and milk for that winter storm warning. Love is the EMC workers who make sure that streetlights stay on to keep things moving. Love is the servers in your local restaurant who work for low wages and hope for that big tip. Love is the chef who no longer feels pain from burns because she has been handling hot pans so long. Love puts food in your belly. Love delivers you goods. Love drives a truck. Love stocks shelves. Love bags your groceries. You see if you look at what actually motivates people to work and provide, if you back up the timeline as one of my law professors was famous for saying, you will see that love is the fuel that runs the Supply Chain. And, with God’s help, we have an unlimited supply of love.
When I realized this, praying grace over meals took a different direction. I now thank God for the food and nourishment. And, I thank God for the hands that picked it. The farmers that nurtured it. The truck drivers and delivery people. The grocery store employees. It doesn’t take long, but this new prayer reminds me that we are a community filled with love. Love that provides. Love that has no scarcity. The true Supply Chain.
