One of the strangest things to me about being in DP is the Tupperware. Or rather, the lack thereof.
Growing up we always had Tupperware containers for everything (in part due to the tendency for mice to live in our pantry), and several years ago my Mama became a Tupperware consultant, so we had even more. I was always taught that it’s better to pay more upfront for something that will last basically forever.
Then I came to DP, and while there are a few pieces of Tupperware to be found, for the most part Ziploc dominates the scene.
It may seem like a really small thing, but it made me rethink my priorities; if everything in this world is temporal, why would I spend money on something I don’t really need? I may think that I need it, but really, most of the world gets along just fine without any storage containers at all.
Which made me ask the question: what small pleasures am I willing to sacrifice so that I can give more to God? Consider – $7 is enough money for a burger, or for a Bible. A burger is very unhealthy and may nourish me for one day, but a single Bible in the hands of a believer can nourish a person, a family, or even a church and community, for a lifetime.
Does that mean that I’m never going to eat at McDonald’s again? Probably not, but I will certainly thank the Lord more fervently when I do.
To me there’s more to it than even that. Ziploc, to me, is like many things of this world- it’s cheap, convenient, and sufficient for my current needs. Everyone – or almost everyone – has it and uses it every day. I have no need for anything else, I’m not ‘that sort of person’.
The Tupperware Company is more like God’s grace (this is an analogy, please remember. There is very little that is actually spiritual about plastic containers); you can’t just go to the store and grab it, it’s costly, but it will last forever. And if, perchance, you make a mistake and drop a frozen item on concrete (been there, done that) and it breaks, you get it replaced. Brand new, for free, just like that, just like grace. It’s not that I grew up with Tupperware because everything had to be name brand and the best quality -a lot of ours we got for under $2 at garage sales and thrift stores- but we wanted something that would last.
For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?
Luke 9:25
I’m now faced with two questions almost every moment of my day: what can and should I give up to gain eternal life and share it with others and what am I willing to pay to have the very best of Jesus? For me this most often looks like getting up early to start my day in prayer; waiting on the Lord, not with any prayer requests, simply listening to His voice and resting the in the presence of God.