Limited Supplies

The health and beauty manufacturers have made me who I am today. I look better with makeup than without, but that’s not who I am.

It’s getting harder and harder to find the same product when it's time to replenish. It doesn’t seem to matter if it is foundation, shampoo, eye shadow, or toothpaste the one I used and liked is no longer available and I’m left to guess about the color of the new merchandise, how it applies, or the way it interacts with my body. I wouldn’t mind as much if they weren’t so costly, but indeed they are and it makes the decision of which new product to try that much harder. I have gone on-line to try and order a favored item that may be in someone’s warehouse, but manufacturers must have the approach of limited production as a way to increase sales. Consumers are bullied into trying different goods, each knowing that some may find improvements, but others will be a waste of money and the shopper may return to buy something else even though it was not depleted. To add to the offense, it is not healthy to pass along many health and beauty products to other people. Shoppers aren’t forced to buy anything, it is their option, but you’re not going to find many people willing to give up shampoo for the cause.

So more and more I am becoming a hoarder, buying larger quantities of the items that I like, knowing that two months later the same product could easily be discontinued.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You are steadfast and resolute. In a world that changes second by second, we are worn by constant disorder. Let us rejoice in the knowledge that your love remains unwavering, your care is continuous, and your conviction is firm. There is no guessing, no wondering, no testing needed to realize that you remain unchanged, offer the same grace, and bless without qualifications. You are the same God that directed Moses, the same Savior that healed the sick, the same Spirit that moved through Pentecost, and the same Lord working through my life. It is not possible to hoard the blessings and gifts we are given, they are too numerous to restrain. Let us become the creation you readied, the congregation you dreamed, and the neighbors you demand. Amen.