Monday, 12 January 2009

• The Butterfly Affect

  Some time last year while in the candy aisle at Walgreens, the plain yet inviting packaging of these "new" candies caught my eye.  They were selling two bags for $3, so I threw them into my already full arms and headed to the checkout. 

  In the beginning, these Necco candies never failed to garner a questioning look from the blue-aproned attendants.  I like to think it was because, as I later learned, no one else seemed to buy these candies, but more likely it was because I was buying them about twice a week.

  On one early morning stop-in, the young lady taking my money called me out on it.  "Weren't you just in here a few days ago for these?"   (In case any Walgreens executives are reading this, I'm the type of person who seems to invite friendly banter...especially since I often start it.)

  "Yeah," I shamefacedly said, "it's just that they're so addictive, and inexpensive...I can't stop eating 'em."

  Another odd look.  "You're the only person I've seen buy these," she commented.  "What are they?"

  "Kinda bland chocolate that coats a wonderful, crumbly cream stuff.  It's hard to explain...try one."  She declined...that day. 

  Early the next week when I was back, the drugstore was crazy-busy, but same cashier was ringing.  She recognized my candy before she did me.  She started grinning, gave me that same look, and I again offered.  "Will you try one today?"

  "No, I'm not going to eat your candy before you even get a piece."

  I grabbed a package from my bag, ripped it open and held it out to her.  "Look," I exclaimed, "I opened it for you.  Now you have to try one."  She did, it being too busy to argue after all, and I left.

  A few weeks later I was back at Walgreens.  Different cashier this time, but she took a second and looked at the candy bags.  "One of the girls that works here is eating these all the time lately, and there's another woman I see constantly buying them.  Are they that good?"  So, I opened up another bag and made this lady try one...and later learned I got her addicted too.  My goofy obsession and excitement about these candies, and my over-willingness to share when asked about them, resulted in a localized phenomenon.

  I dreamed about this last night, dreamed actually I was writing a blog and that God was showing me something in this. To think, that God can use candy as an analogy!  But it makes sense...the fastest growing churches in the world are those where the congregants are over-excited about the church and Jesus.  Say what you will about mega-churches and prosperity-teachers...they're getting people in the door.  The excitement and obsession surrounding those involved spreads, and makes others want to find out what the big deal is.  Seeker-friendly churches often birth smaller, more meat-fed churches, and usually those mega-churches aid in the planting of the smaller ones. 

  I responded to another Xangan in yesterday's post that "I don't care if my name is remembered [in history], but I'd like to think I'd made a great impact nonetheless.  Think of the Butterfly Effect: that a butterfly flapping its wings in California causes a tsunami in Japan.  No one knows that the tsunami was caused by a slight breeze from a butterfly's wings, but I'd like to get to Heaven someday and learn I was a butterfly." 

  Be excited about being a Believer.  Stop looking at just the economy and our very-real but earthly troubles.  In the end and at the beginning, we have Jesus.  I need to remember this, because if I can spread the addiction of a stupid candy so easily, shouldn't it be just as easy for me to spread Jesus?

  So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.  1 Corinthians 15:58, NLT

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