![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/406\/2015\/03\/5817918530_d101b6e2c1_z-300x200.jpg\")
by David Rupert<\/em><\/p>\nI was sent out on a short-term mission trip to the grocery store. \u201cIt won\u2019t take long,\u201d she promised. Her head tilted just so and her eyes firing rapid blinks. \u201cPick up some apples and I\u2019ll make a pie.\u201d How could I resist?<\/p>\n
The male double-helix shopping code is to \u201cget in and get out without any complication.\u201d So I thought this was going to be an easy assignment. Like the last time I brought home eggs. A couple were broken.\u00a0You have to check?<\/em>\u00a0And they were brown.\u00a0Who knew?<\/em>\u00a0Or when I bravely found diced tomatoes without asking anyone for help. Apples,\u00a0I can do this!<\/em><\/p>\n But little did I realize I would be faced with such a variety.\u00a0Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Rome Beauty, McIntosh, Fuji, Gala, Jonagold.\u00a0<\/em>There were yellow, green, red, and even multi-colored varieties.\u00a0Where would I start?\u00a0<\/em>I felt a vortex of indecision swirling around me. My breathing got shallow, and I almost bailed on the assignment. But then I would have to come up with an elaborate story involving a police chase or a gas leak or swarm of birds winging through the aisles.<\/p>\n After a couple of frantic text messages, I was finally able to make a proper selection. But the experience still weighed on me as I drove home. I considered the intricate weave of choice, abundance, and blessing. It was amplified by the stories the next Sunday from the high-schoolers from church who just returned from a real mission trip to Mexico.<\/p>\n Thanks for nothing<\/strong><\/p>\n The group had arrived at the small, poor village in identical new vans. Suburban teenagers in crisp jeans with white ear buds dangling from their pockets soon realized what poverty looked like. Their job was to help build homes. Considering the villagers lived in crude shacks built of scrap sheet metal or reinforced refrigerator boxes, the pre-fab huts were a big improvement. Still, not one of these teens would ever have to live in something so simple.<\/p>\n During our church service, one girl spoke about the experience and was most impressed at how utterly satisfied these people were. She told us about the worship experience in the village church. \u00a0The prayers were filled with the word \u201cgracias,\u201d uttered dozens of times.<\/p>\n \u201cOver and again these people thanked God and never bothered asking him for more.\u00a0They had nothing, but they thanked him for everything<\/em>,\u201d she recounted.<\/p>\n Stuffed bird, empty heart<\/strong><\/p>\n I think about those villagers, and others in my life, who are struggling to make a living, clawing their way through everyday existence. Why are they so abundant in good spirits, praise, and joy? And why are the rest of us so . . . \u00a0needy?<\/p>\n This time of year we tend to give praise for our bounty. The plump, plucked turkey and mounds of potatoes are dolloped with ample reminders to give thanks for God\u2019s blessing. And we should always be grateful. But to be honest, I don\u2019t always do so well in the land of plenty. In my richest days I\u2019m also the most self-indulgent. In fact, all of this abundance of goods might not be best for me.<\/p>\n Equating\u00a0abundance<\/em>\u00a0with\u00a0blessing\u00a0<\/em>is deceptive. Just because I can buy Aloe-infused bath tissues or honey-dipped crackers doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019m blessed by God. Standing in a world surrounded by choice isn\u2019t really all that it\u2019s cracked up to be.<\/p>\n I am much more blessed when I have simplicity. When I clamor for mystery and relish the uncertainty, I take the first steps into the Promised Land. And there I find an abundance of blessing.<\/p>\n Still, I never want to take anything for granted.<\/p>\n Now, where\u2019s that pie?<\/em><\/p>\n \n<\/p> David Rupert is a writer from Denver, Colorado. He works in\u00a0public communications and serves as the Newsletter Editor\u00a0at The High Calling. He\u00a0blogs regularly at\u00a0Red Letter Believers<\/a>\u00a0and cowrote\u00a0Make a Difference: Growth in Leadership<\/a>\u00a0with\u00a0Dr. Larry Little and Melissa Hambrick Jackson.<\/em><\/p>\n Image by\u00a0Tim Miller<\/a>. Used with permission. Sourced via\u00a0Flickr<\/a>. Post originally published at TheHighCalling.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by David Rupert I was sent out on a short-term mission trip to the grocery store. \u201cIt won\u2019t take long,\u201d she promised. Her head tilted just so and her eyes firing rapid blinks. \u201cPick up some apples and I\u2019ll make a pie.\u201d How could I resist? The male double-helix shopping code is to \u201cget in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1712,"featured_media":1370,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[260,281,282],"class_list":["post-1321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-work-practices","tag-abundance","tag-choices","tag-more"],"yoast_head":"\n