Look at them go

I dropped Rory off at school the other day, and as I was driving back to Aptos, I hit the stoplight at the intersection of Hwy 1 and Hwy 9. It was our first really rainy day since we moved here in August. ‘Twas pouring.

I looked to my left to see a squadron of UPS trucks turning left in front of me on Hwy 1. There must’ve been a dozen of them.

Something caught me about the scene. It was like a snapshot. Seeing them all together like that was so surreal. Big brown trucks with their iconic yellow logos were in formation and taking flight as their tires sprayed a heavy mist that red taillights shone through like Christmas lights.

I’ve never seen Santa’s sleigh, but this was probably as close as I’ll ever get.

Maybe this parade rolls out every day, and I’ve just never seen it before. But it was so fascinating, even in its mundanity.

It made me think of North American consumerism and how I usually bash it, especially this time of year. But as I saw those brown trucks take flight, it struck me how miraculous the global marketplace is. All those packages being dispatched to the far reaches of Santa Cruz County and beyond. I was in awe of how the whole machine functions, most days, without a hitch (at least, that I, the consumer, can notice). I’m amazed at all it takes to gather the raw materials to make the stuff that our stuff is made out of. I’m amazed at how humans, somehow make and distribute all of the stuff. Then, we buy it from our little screens in our living rooms, and it shows up (pretty much) on time!

Yes, I understand that in the marketplace, there is plenty of pain, suffering, oppression, and dysfunction. But also, what an amazing thing. Not even consumerism in motion is beyond God’s redemption.

There they go, like brown reindeer with pretty red lights dashing through the rain.

In Joy,
Jonas+