Snow Staples

For my entire married life, I have food shopped on Thursday.
I cannot tell you why that day was preferred above all the rest.
I just wanted to shop before the weekend.
I also noticed that the shelves were being stocked to prepare for the weekend shoppers.

It just became the way of things.
There were always those times when a Thursday excursion to the grocery store was not possible.
If one of my children was sick or had to go to the doctor or dentist, I shopped another day.
Other than that, I headed to the grocery store every Thursday.

The cashiers seem to know the schedule of their faithful customers.
Is it Thursday already? I have been asked numerous times.
The conversation would then shift towards how fast the week went by.
I often wondered if it was good to be so predictable.

This week happens to be one of those weeks.
I went food shopping a day early.
No emergency, no doctor or dentist appointment was the reason.
I shopped a day early because snow is in the forecast.

The weather alerts came on my phone.
The amount of snow varies depending on where you live.
Our area is expecting 4-8 inches of snow.
The irony is that the day before the expected snow storm was close to 60 degrees.

It is to become bitterly cold with the snow starting around 2:00am.
The morning commute is to be treacherous with snow and sleet expected.
The school children will probably have a snow day.
Those of us who like winter will finally get a snowfall.

Even if I had not heard any weather report, I could have told you that snow was coming.
I could have told you that simply by going to the grocery store.
I knew snow was coming because of the behavior of the shoppers.
People behind their shopping carts reminded me of drivers in the NASCAR races.

Not that I have ever been to a NASCAR race, but I have seen glimpses of it on the news.
I have an imagination.
The determination in the eyes of each shopper as they steered their cart was similar.
Aisles were crowded as people maneuvered their carts around any available space.

Turning from one aisle to the next was done quickly in one fluid movement.
There are no brakes on a shopping cart, but if there had been, they were not applied.
You could see what was important to people by looking in their shopping carts.
Since many homes have well water, when the power goes out the water cannot be pumped.

Many people were stocking up on bottled water.
Some had packages of soda with the plastic metal rings draped over the side of the cart.
The line at the deli counter, which I bypassed, was long with people holding paper numbers.
It was the last aisle that was the most crowded though the shelves were emptying fast.

It was the two snow staples that everyone needed to buy.
As fast as the shelves were stocked, they were emptying again.
Unless you live in an area that gets a significant snowfall, you wouldn’t understand.
The two snow staples are milk and bread.

There are usually funny videos depicting people panicking because the snow is coming.
The panicked people are usually in their car frantically rushing to get milk and bread.
I cannot tell you why those two things have become snow staples.
The only thing I can guess is that if the power goes out, sandwiches can always be made.

The milk and bread aisle was packed with people.
One woman asked if anyone knew where the yeast was kept in the store.
People looked at her like she was crazy.
Make your own bread in a snow storm?

People tend to stock up and prepare when bad weather is coming.
There is some satisfaction in knowing that whatever the forecast brings, you are ready.
There is some comfort in knowing that if the power goes out, you can still eat something.
There is some assurance that milk is in the refrigerator if you are stuck inside for a day or so.

The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested Him by asking Him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away. (Matthew 16:1-4)

We are experts when it comes to the weather forecast.
We are diligent about being prepared for the storms that will come.
Our diligence does not carry over to spiritual things.
We prepare for everything else but often fail to prepare for eternity.

We think we have all the time in the world to think about such things.
We take a Scarlet O’Hara approach to our spiritual life.
Well, I won’t think about this now. I’ll think about it tomorrow.
However, we are not guaranteed tomorrow.

We put milk and bread in our shopping carts to prepare for a snowstorm.
Yet we give no consideration to eternity.
The snow may or may not come but death comes to us all.
We prepare for everything else today but think about the end of our life tomorrow.

We need to prepare for dying as much as we need to prepare for living.
We do not prepare for dying in a morose way.
We prepare for dying by living in such a way that we are ready to see Jesus face to face.
That last day will come for each of us, surer than any winter storm.

They, then, who are destined to die, need not be careful to inquire what death they are to die, but into what place death will usher them. (Augustine)

Milk and bread may be staples in a snowstorm.
However, we must be spiritually prepared for heaven.
We must trust in Jesus alone for our salvation.
Jesus’ death and resurrection, His finished work on our behalf, is the only staple we need.

We watch the weather and know the appearance of the sky.
Can we interpret the signs of the times?
Are we prepared for heaven?
That is something we cannot wait to think about tomorrow.