Buying Lightbulbs?
My mission was to buy some lightbulbs for the kitchen ceiling. This is America. How hard could it be? And this was before COVID-19.
For an easy match, I took the old bulb with me. It must have been employee break-time when I arrived in the lighting department of the big box store. No problem. It’s just a lightbulb. Unfortunately, the global warmers have terrorized the selection of lights that a weekend handyman can buy. What a mess!
About 22 minutes later, I had finally narrowed my choice to a package of three bulbs that were not environmentally friendly for $18.98, or one bulb that had smiley worlds on the package for $15.99. The decision was easy.
This particular store had removed all checkout lanes except self-serve. Wonder what happened to all those highly trained cashiers who used to ask, “cash or card, paper or plastic?” We know they are not working at Blockbuster video
There was a long line at the self-checkout corral. Several of the computers were not working, so that left us to wait as first-timers tried to figure out how to negotiate the process. Nice.
Finally, it was my turn at the state-of-the-art video check-out computer. However, the person before me had not returned the scan gun to the holster. Where could it be? As I dug through the plastic bags and discarded items that had been left behind, a properly attired store employee brushed past me and asked, “You don’t want no help?”
What is the correct response? “Yes I don’t want no help, either?” Or “No I don’t want no help, neither?” I must have missed that in grammar class. By the time I had wrestled with this poignant question, the employee was in plumbing.
Eventually, I made the purchase, and on my way out, I greeted a distracted employee with, “
You're welcome.” No one had said “thank you,” but at least I did my part.
Every day, something in our sphere of living changes. We must learn to adapt, and to refuse to become overwhelmed and frustrated. Businesses go bankrupt, and certain automobiles cease production. From 8-tracks, music has moved to cassettes, then to CD’s, and on to digital. We must adapt or be discarded like a scratched vinyl record.
While types of lightbulbs and checkout procedures change, God does not. In Malachi 3:6, the Lord says, “I do not change!” Hebrews 13:18 says, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.” With all the changes in this technology obsessed world, we can plant our feet firmly only on Christ Jesus and His Word.
One last thought: Things will probably get worse before they get better. So relax, and remember the words of the Apostle Paul when he wrote that we should “be content” in the circumstances of life" (Philippians 4:11). Even buying lightbulbs!