The Supply Line
By Tom Gilbreath
Pharaoh dreamed of seven fat, healthy cows being devoured by seven sickly cows. Then he dreamed of seven healthy ears of grain devoured by blighted grain. God gave Joseph the interpretation of that dream — seven years of plenty would be followed by seven years of famine. Joseph advised Pharoah to build up food supplies in times of plenty in order to survive the lean years. The plan made Pharaoh and Egypt even richer because they were able to supply food to a hungry world, including nascent Israel.
America once took that pattern to heart. Both the government and private businesses held vast reserves of food and essential goods in warehouses all over the country. But the government no longer stores food in large amounts. Businesses now use high-tech, computerized warehouses. They operate on a model of “just-in-time manufacturing,” and “just-in-time delivery.” Modern warehouses and stores usually have days, not weeks or months, of inventory.
Fifty years ago, warehouses were passive, long-term, bulk storage repositories. They weren’t as efficient, but that lack of efficiency provided the nation with a measure of food and pharmaceutical security we don’t have with today’s high-tech fulfillment hubs. Businesses love the cost savings of their new strategy. A lean system that just meets demand is far more profitable than holding on to vast inventories. But after years of this mentality, we are now working without a net. We have no margin for safety. Even small disruptions can turn catastrophic.
As I write this, a vast winter storm bears down on much of the United States, to be followed by extreme cold. This storm isn’t likely to cause much of a supply chain problem, but it does show the growing vulnerability of our national infrastructure. Such weaknesses show up during natural disasters, but the country quickly forgets them when things start going well again.
Today’s infrastructure and supply lines are highly vulnerable. We have an aging electric grid made for manual control now run by a patchwork mish mash of computerization. A vast percentage of essential supplies come from overseas, particularly Asia. That makes for long supply lines. Worse, our most important supplier, China, considers us an enemy they must defeat. In both areas, we are more vulnerable than ever because we are less prepared than ever.
Yet, we act as cavalierly as the grasshopper in Aesop’s fable, relaxing away the summer while the ants work to get ready for winter. I recently wrote about the immaturity crisis facing much of the world. Our dying infrastructure, lack of preparedness for disaster, and the fight against those trying to bring manufacturing back home, shows a high degree of national immaturity.
I’m not telling you to become a “prepper,” but we should all make reasonable preparations for emergencies — whether natural or manmade. In the 1950s, the government recommended that all Americans keep a seven-day food supply on hand. Today, the government recommends three days… even though we are more vulnerable to extreme emergencies, not less.
Still, no matter how hard we try, no one can prepare for every emergency. If you could spend all your time working on it, and if you had billions to spend, you still could not be ready for all contingencies. But the most important preparatory work takes no money at all. Invite Jesus into your life. Draw close to Him, learn His Word, trust in Him. Learn in good times how to trust God in the difficult times. He is your ultimate supplier, and your connection with Him is your ultimate supply line.
