Providence In the Thrift Store (…or How I Came To Read Don Miller) (09-14-2006)

I started a blog at Blogger because I changed email addresses and forgot my password at Wordpress. Most of the stuff I've written over the years is kind of dumb, but some of it might be worth preserving. I'm copying it over here so that when I forget my login info again, I can just copy it from this one place.

The Thrift Store is a veritable treasure trove of wonderful finds. In high school, I found quite a few offbeat shirts, board games, and other miscellaneous knick knacks. More recently, I have found some good CDs and a matching set of Tiki mugs. I remember, back in the day, a friend finding the most wonderful and prized possession ever: a spear gun. I was quite covetous of that, and held out hope for such a great goodie every time I went. Every time, I have walked away slightly disappointed, but with a small trinket or two.
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Naomi and I have joined an on-line book discussion club. I’m not quite sure how this is going to pan out logistically, but our first book assignment is “The Pilgrim’s Progress” by John Bunyan. Yesterday, we went out to shop for the book, among other things. We were heading to Books-A-Million, but en route, we stopped at a large Thrift Store.

Unlike BAM with its nice, divided sections of alphabetized authors and an organizational system that would make Mr. Dewey at least a little proud, the Thrift Store has implemented a much more sophisticated system for arranging its books. It’s too complex for me to even begin to comprehend, so to my mind, it looks like a chaotic smattering of overstuffed shelves and overflowing cardboard boxes. I knew I had my work cut out for me, but with a mustard seed of faith in an angenda of my own creation, I prayed a little prayer that God would help me find the book, if, indeed, it was there.
My eyes skimmed a myriad of Danielle Steele masterpieces and Stephen King epics. I moved many a self-help journal aside in order to see the titles of the Harlequin romances that were hidden in the dark shadows of the shelves.

I prayed once more, and almost immediately, my eyes fell upon “Blue Like Jazz” by Donald Miller…right next to the Qu’Ran (I caught a sublte glimpse of the organization in place). Mr. Miller has raised quite a few eyebrows in my tiny sphere of influence with his controversial take on the church. I had been considering this book as an addition to my “(Might-read this one once I’ve read everything on my) Must-read” list, but the $14 price tag had been a very strong deterrent.

This wasn’t exaclty the result I had hoped for, but in its own little way, I saw this as an answer to my prayer. Or at least a bit of a sign. At $2.40, this book may or may not be a good deal, but is one I have been curious about for quite some time. We shall see how it goes.

A bit deflated, I continued browsing the aisles for Bunyan’s book. I knew I was retracing my steps several times over, but I was still determined to find the book…to no avail.

Naomi and Nathaniel rounded the bend from the clothes section to the books/toys/electronics section to come gather me up (I later found out that I had spent 25 minutes or so perusing book titles). I told her that I had searched through the books, high and low, and I showed her the soon-to-be-mine copy of Blue Like Jazz. I explained that I had looked everywhere for “The Pilgrim’s Progress” but had had no luck. I had given up on my quest to find The Pilgrim’s Progress. It wasn’t that God had failed me, or even that my faith had failed me, but I often wonder what it means to have faith. I struggle sometimes with the the differences between placing faith in God and His goodness and simply having faith that God will give me favorable circumstances.

It really was ok that we hadn’t found the book here. God never guarantees that I will find all the things I am looking for on my schedule, and besides, we were still heading to Book-A-Million, and they would surely have the book. Also, I was kind of excited that I had found Blue Like Jazz for a reasonable price. My curiosity and cheapness are often at odds, but they have found many compromises in the Thrift Store. Slightly disappointed, mostly at myself and my silly, whimsical designs, I grabbed the shopping cart, and my eyes fell…fell, as it turns out, right on to a copy of “The Pilgrim’s Progress” by John Bunyan.