The Great Pizza Crisis

It was a rainy Sunday night. My sister was over and we were watching the Golden Globes on TV. There are two sacred nights at my house each year. One is Golden Globes night; the other is The Oscars. On these two nights, my husband and children know how it works:

* My sister comes over early to watch the pre-show, red carpet events.
* We then settle in for the actual awards ceremony.
* We are not to be disturbed with questions about anything outside of the awards show (ie. statements like, "Where are my shoes?" or "Mom, blood is gushing from my head." are not allowed. Only questions pertaining to dresses, shoes or jewelry are permitted.)
* We order pizza.

This is pretty simple and straightforward. Everyone is on the same page and understands the proper protocol for awards show night. There was no indication that this particular night would be any different. Husbands and children were all in line. Everyone was following policy until...

It was time to order the pizza. Pizza orders at my house are placed with Papa Johns. The same Papa Johns that we have ordered from for six years. When ordering online, I simply type a "p" in the web address bar and my computer automatically pulls up the Papa Johns website. My user name and password come up (I am a valued customer, after all) and with a simple "click", "click" of the mouse, I'm done! So easy. So peaceful. Pizza on the way. Awards show in progress. Beautiful dresses. Life is good. Until...

On this particular night, a night that would later become known as The Great Pizza Crisis, I went to the website to order our delicious, succulent, thin crust pizza with sausage, mushrooms and black olives. There I was on the website, like I'd been a thousand times before, when all of a sudden I'm told they do not deliver to my address! What's this?! What are you saying?! Somewhat confused and taken aback, I retyped the information (there must be a mistake). The same message reappeared.

We now went to Def con 4. I picked up the phone and dialed the memorized number of our particular P.J.'s location. On the other end of the line, I hear the dreaded, "I'm sorry, you have reached a number that is no longer in service." My breath cut short. We were now at Def con 5.

I called some other location only to be told the store that had once delivered our wonderful thin crust pizza, was now closed. What?! How could this be?! Why was I not called? What was I to do now? It's Golden Globes night! Didn't they know this? It's breaking with protocol!

Always good in a crisis, my sister reminded me of a Palio's just outside our neighborhood. I nervously called the unfamiliar phone number. The attendant on the other end took our order, assured us it would be delivered shortly and there was no need to worry. Just as he said, roughly 30 minutes later, the blessed doorbell rang. There he was, the strapping young pizza delivery boy with our treasured feast.

With the crisis resolved, we now went back to Def con 1. The rest of the rainy awards night went without a hitch. Whew! That was a close call.

What's the point of this ridiculous story?

Sometimes in life we face crisis. Whether it's pizza or near plane crashes (that's another story). We go to Def con 5 and put out the all-points bulletin. How do we address the turmoil? Philippians 4:19 is a good place to start, "My God shall supply ALL your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

I love when scripture is practical. We all face times in our lives where circumstances are beyond our control. Don't panic! Don't give up hope! This is when God wants to demonstrate His unlimited resources to meet our need as only He can. Is God able to take care of your finances? Your health? Your children? Your aging parents? Friend, you'll never face any trial in which God cannot provide.

God never shrugs His shoulders and says, "Don't look at me!" God wants you to look exactly to Him. Where are you looking during the crisis? Do you believe Him? Would the people around you affirm that God is where you turn first? Are you demonstrating an unwavering faith that God will do what He said?

I was in a panic about my awards show pizza. Personally, I think God had a laugh over that one. But the truth is, when I'm in a pinch, I know He's there. He's waiting for me to get off the computer, hang up the phone, and call on the One who can truly give me peace (and in some cases, pizza).