The world went a little crazy over toilet paper. People swarmed to stores, passing racks of things that might help them recover from the Coronavirus like bottled water and fever medication. Instead, there are videos of people moving as one large mass to the toilet paper section, stripping entire pallets in moments. People have even gotten physical as they combat others who are trying to deny them something they think is so precious and important to their very survival.
It’s easy to look at these people and mock them. We can even try to reason through the psychological reasons for this behavior. Yet for those who hold a Christian worldview, how the world responded to toilet paper gives us a fascinating insight into how deep idolatry runs in our hearts.
Learning from the Psalms
Some boast in chariots and some in horses,
But we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God. (Psalm 20:7)
I find this verse interesting because of how we can look at it in our modern setting. When this was written, David was pointing out the foolishness of those people who feel safe, even powerful, because they could ride around in 2-wheeled cars pulled by a 4-legged animal. To those people, chariots and horses were what gave them comfort. If they had military might, they were secure.
What’s worse, David’s 2nd line shows that these people saw horses and chariots as a replacement for God. They trusted in them for deliverance the same way we trust the creator of the universe. A vehicle and animal were their salvation.
Yet when we think about that today, it’s silly. Chariots are made of wood and leave their rider exposed. Horses fail the moment they make contact with an arrow or spear. Compared to the almighty God, how could people see these as any kind of safety net?
Yet that’s exactly what we see when we really examine the idea of fighting over toilet paper.
In 3 ply we trust
Why toilet paper? Of all the things to fight over, stockpile, or inflate the price of, why this particular item? People have pointed out some characteristics that make it logical to focus so intently on this item:
- It’s cheap
- It won’t go to waste
- It is a necessary item
And so it can make sense to stockpile something that’s cheap and necessary to the lives of those who don’t own a bidet. So why toilet paper instead of other inexpensive, necessary items that don’t have an expiration date? There’s another important characteristic of toilet paper that I think makes it an ideal choice for becoming a false idol.
Toilet paper is big.
You can fill an entire trunk with toilet paper for less than $30. When you bring it home, it’s a difficult item to hide. When you manage to find a store with a decent stock and no purchase limit, you can leave that store and clearly see how successful you were in your find.
Now compare that to something like toothpaste. For $30, you can get a lot of toothpaste. It’s something you’ll always need and wouldn’t need to replace for several years. However, what you’re left with isn’t an impressive pile. $30 of toothpaste can be stuck under a sink or in the back of a cabinet and no one would know.
In other words, toilet paper makes us feel safe because of how much we can get. We can look at our pile and say “I am this safe.” Toilet paper offers no safety from sickness, nor will it offer much in the way of comfort from a virus that doesn’t affect our digestive system.
Yet people aren’t stockpiling toilet paper because they want to prepare for their own sickness. We want it because it offers us a feeling of control. A mountain of toilet paper lets us feel like we’ve done something to protect ourselves, outwit others, and feel like we aren’t those unfortunate people who can’t find this important resource.
It’s not about the roll
In one way, toilet paper acts as our savior. We are anxious if we can’t have it, and having more than enough of it makes us feel even safer. We feel a surge of adrenaline when we swipe our card and can walk out of the store with it.
Ultimately, it’s not the toilet paper that replaces God. It certainly brings us comfort, and it gives us a trophy that proves our safety. But what we worship isn’t a roll of paper product.
Toilet paper lets us worship ourselves. It allows us to be our own savior. We are the idol, and the toilet paper is the proof of our power.
After all, why did people initially rush for toilet paper? Because they were afraid of being powerless and without something they thought they needed. They wanted to make sure they purchased it to protect themselves, never really thinking about how little they would need toilet paper more than other items if the world really did shut down.
When the media started reporting on the rush for toilet paper, why did the rest of the world follow it? Because they were afraid of being powerless and without something other people thought they needed. Most people in the second wave of buying toilet paper didn’t necessarily know why they needed it, only that it was clearly something that would make them feel safe if they had it.
And now people are sitting on a pile of toilet paper that lets them know they’ve done something. They’ve taken steps to protect themselves from a global collapse. They are no longer powerless. They have made themselves a god, and now that god can’t possibly fail them.
Trust in the Lord
Some boast in chariots and some in horses,
But we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God. (Psalm 20:7)
The rest of the world is boasting in their supplies. They are telling themselves that they are safe, secure, and powerful because they are prepared. Their anxiety is lessened because they were able to do something.
Yet that toilet paper won’t last. It won’t protect anyone from illness, nor will it save them from the thousands of other dangers in the world. They feel safe and powerful, but they are far from it.
The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
The righteous runs into it and is safe.
A rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
And like a high wall in his own imagination. (Proverbs 18:10-11)
We don’t trust in something as weak as toilet paper, or even ourselves, for our future. Followers of Christ don’t need to put their faith in something that can’t last, because we worship a good God who has all power and knowledge. We find our safety in God, and nothing else, because He’s the only thing that can truly offer what we need.
In a world gripped by fear and uncertainty, we think that our biggest concern is our own safety and comfort. Yet God offers us so much more. He allows us to focus our lives in a direction that isn’t concerned about things that can’t last.
We need to be wise, both with our health and our futures. Yet we aren’t in ultimate control of those things, and thus there’s little value in being anxious about what we don’t know. Instead, we find safety and rest in God, trusting that He is in control.
A world broken by sin is going to fall apart. A human body broken by sin is going to die. The money we save will run out, and the things we acquire won’t last forever.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:26)
God doesn’t want us to put our trust in anything but Him because God knows something we so often forget. He is the only thing in all of universe that can’t fail. He is the only one worth focusing on.
God sent Christ to save us from something far worse than sickness and death – Christ rescued us from our sin. If God is good enough to do that, let’s trust Him with everything else. Even if nothing goes how we want, the worst outcome is that we leave this life and finally stand in the holy presence of our God.
Horses, chariots, and toilet paper can’t offer that kind of salvation. Trust in the One who can.
