15 Items Or Less

There is no doubt why our generation has been dubbed, “the fast food generation.” Ours is the era that began with McDonalds and is being embellished at the speed of light each day by Jeff Bezos (Amazon) and others. Like in, “I want it and I want it now!” We have become the most impatient group of humans in the history of the universe. Overstatement?

Just look around and watch (and feel) the accompanying anxiety levels that increase in all of us whenever our world slows down for a nanosecond or something else impedes our progress (like a speed limit).

For example, I was in the “fast lane” checkout at the grocery store the other day. That’s the one that says, “15 items or less” (that nobody pays attention to). Well, an older lady was in front of the register at the time and was causing some serious eye-rolling and lip-smacking from the younger lady behind her because she was paying in cash (bless her heart) and was slow in counting out her change.

Now I’m not picking on you ladies here because the guy behind me in line was about to get a ticket from me for tailgating as he was pushing me to put my 15 or less items on the checkout counter. Truth is, we were all being impatient. But here’s another story about patience that I hope will connect this all together (if you’re still with me).

Yesterday, I received the following message from Faith Comes By Hearing, the local ministry that provides us with the marvelous digital Biblical audio device called the Proclaimer, that we have been sending into Nigeria for the past nine months. We have had a sizeable (to us) quantity on order for almost two months and we were beginning to get that impatient “jitter” that everybody gets when they have to wait, except us mature Christians, of course (Psalm 46:10). Yeah, right! Anyway, here’s what it said:

PRODUCTION IS RUNNING BEHIND. WE ARE ALSO WAITING FOR SOME CABLES FOR THE PROJECTOR TO ARRIVE. WE WILL SHIP WHEN READY.

Now what do we do? We’ve got evangelists waiting on the ground to take them into remote villages in Nigeria; a Missions Conference there wanting to demonstrate one at their next gathering; and, who knows how many listeners and local pastors are waiting to take the plunge into listening to the Bible for the first time in their native language? Time to panic? No, it’s a time to rejoice (Philippians 4:4-7) and “let patience have its perfect work.” Here’s why:

We asked just one question. Why was production running behind? The answer? Because the demand for Proclaimers is so great! Workers and ministries all over the world are requesting this valuable resource tool that is helping to fulfill Jesus’ command, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone” (Mark 16:15). We were told, for example, that 4,000 Proclaimers were being sent to Uganda for a massive new Bible listening program that was being encouraged and supported by the Bible societies there!

So why should we get nervous or even edgy if others who were in line before us (or even if they weren’t) are receiving theirs before ours? What a privilege it is for us to be in this kind of line in the first place!

Besides that, dear saints, God’s word is “still living and active” and in a couple of more weeks it will still be “sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12). Maranatha!