I’m sure we’ve all had our fill of stories about the crazies who bought up all the toilet paper during the coronavirus pandemic, but today I’d like to share my favorite coronavirus pandemic toilet paper story. This story actually belongs to my friend, Carrie Walker*, so I’m going to let her tell it in her own words.
Living in a household of 9, the whole “toilet paper out of stock everywhere, almost always” could easily be a point of stress. Yet it’s been one thing I’ve refused to freak out about. I’ve literally handed over what I have, as long as we have enough for our consumption. Well, we were getting low. So today I strolled to the back of Sam’s Club to find the paper supply pallets empty… again. I eyed the couple reams of kleenex and decided, “No, not worrying about this.”
As I strolled to grab the kids more snack bars, a woman walked up to me and asked if I needed toilet paper. She had probably the only ream in the entire store in her cart and realized she didn’t need it. She must have seen me in the toilet paper aisle shortly before. God Provides.
When I read Carrie’s Facebook post a few days ago, my first thought was: We always have a choice. At the very outset when learning of the toilet paper shortage with her household of nine, Carrie had a choice—whether to have faith or give in to fear. She chose faith and saved herself a lot of wear and tear on her body, soul and mind that come from worry and stress.
Too often we like to believe we don’t have a choice, and we allow our circumstances to dictate our responses. Our thinking goes something like this: Fact – There’s a toilet paper shortage. Fact – I have a household of nine. Conclusion – AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! The FACT that we have a choice about how to respond doesn’t even occur to us.
Satan is a master deceiver who delights in creating circumstances that tempt us to believe we don’t have a choice. Yes, I said “tempt.” When we choose to give in to our emotions, to give in to our fear, we are yielding to Satan’s temptation. And even when we choose faith, our decision will often be tested.
When Carrie saw the empty toilet paper area at Sam’s Club with the knowledge that her supply of toilet paper was getting low, her decision to trust was being tested. Once again she had a choice whether to give in to fear or to have faith. Once again she chose faith and her faith was rewarded without going through the gut-wrenching anxiety she might have experienced otherwise.
One of my favorite Scriptures on the choice we have when we encounter situations such as this is found in John 14:27 Classic Amplified Version:
Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]
Wow! Look at the words that indicate that we have a choice: Do not let… Stop allowing yourselves… do not permit yourselves… We do not have to allow our emotions to determine our choices. We can choose, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to place our trust in God regardless of our circumstances.
Heavenly Father, your Word tells us that Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6) and that Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness (Galatians 3:6). Enable us to choose to put our faith and trust in you, rather than choosing fear. Amen.
*Carrie Walker is a fellow member of the online Scribe’s Critique group under the American Christian Fiction Writers.