I was sitting at a stoplight on a calm Sunday morning near the end of May. It was 7:30 in the morning, and traffic was light because not much is open is that time of morning. As I waited for the light to turn, a couple pulled up next to me. I looked over, and they were both wearing masks. Suddenly all the craziness of the last 15-months came flooding back in. The shut downs, the lines, new terms like social distancing, essential worker, and North Carolina's own Wait, Wash and ... whatever the other W was.

Then my mind casually wandered over to the social games of follow the leader we played. I think toilet paper was first. The object was to buy and store as much toilet paper as you could. Bonus points if you could balance a stack 4-feet higher than the top of your shopping cart on the way to the checkout.

It started to look like a late snow was predicted when bottled water came in as a close second in the game. Disinfecting wipes changed my mind. Those were not traditionally a weather-related buyout item. Nor were hand sanitizer, webcams or 2x4's.

As America settled into her 'new normal' though, a new series of shortages began to emerge: used cars. Then houses. Followed by jobs for blue collar and food service workers and recreational vehicles for remote-working urban couples.

I could have gone on, but the light turned green. As I drove, my gas gauge reading near-full, I was reminded of the actions of friends and neighbors during the recent and short-lived gas shortage. That's when it all came full circle. The shortages, the anger, the frustration and even desperation were all driven by the same things: greed and discontent.

I'm reminded of a Bible passage written by the Apostle Paul from 1 Timothy 6 which begins, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.”

As we were clearing store shelves of one item and then the next, following the lead of neighbors, friends and family, we made even the most nonsensical items our top purchase priority and getting our share before it was gone.

The Bible passage continues at 1 Timothy 6:9 saying, “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.”

That brings me back around to today. And I wonder about our collective tomorrow. Many think the Bible is an archaic document filled with idealistic stories, but look around. There's an amazing wealth of knowledge and understanding of what drives people hundreds of generations and later. When the Bible is as close as it is on humans and their behavior, it makes it that much easier to believe when it talks about God.

And that's the story in a nutshell — the story of God and the human race. Open it. Read it. When you see yourself, look closer and you'll see the God who has been trying to reach us since the dawn of time.