Supply Chain

What does it take to get at bottle of shampoo on a shelf?  It is much more complex then it may appear at first glance.  I've asked this question, to multiple people, and the most common answer is this: "A stocking clerk puts it there."  The answer is correct but surprisingly shallow.  Or maybe I'm abnormally conceited to hope for more.  Are most answers to most of our questions mostly just scratching the surface?  Do we ever stop to think beyond one layer of anything.  Thoughts should probe deeper then the surface . . . and when they do our understanding of life may be more full.

There is a negative perception of probing too deep.  In a church atmosphere, people avoid deep doctrine.  In business we sometimes call it over-analyzing.  Either way - probing deep is often frowned upon.  I agree with some of the reasons why that is.  For instance, in gospel related ideas, deep doctrine about topics that don't pertain to salvation can be dangerous and a waste of time.  However, who doesn't want to understand the atonement more deeply?  Who doesn't want to understand faith at its core?  Understanding the depth of an issue can be extremely beneficial.

So back to the original question, how does that stinking shampoo bottle get on that shelf?  Even my answer is not as deep as it could be - but here is a high level view working backwards.  The first supply chain represents the path of the bottle that the shampoo goes in.  I could add a great deal of complexity with decoration, custom designs, etc. but I won't in order to keep it simple.  Second I will do the same thing for the ingredients in the bottle.

1. Shelf <-- Stock Warehouse <-- Transportation <-- Manufacturing Facility <-- Transportation <-- Bottle Supplier <-- Transportation <-- Bottle Manufacturer <-- Transportation <-- Resin Manufacturer <-- Transportation <-- Mining
2. Shelf <-- Stock Warehouse <-- Transportation <-- Manufacturing Facility <-- Transportation <-- Raw Materials Manufacturers <-- Transportation <--  Mining or Agriculture

Maybe just geeks like me find it interesting that everything starts at mining or agriculture.  If proper steps are taken then a bottle of shampoo can make it to the shelves.  But, man, does it go through a process.  If someone doesn't know the process intimately or follow it carefully, chances of successfully getting a product on the shelf is slim.  As a matter of fact, I have personally seen many people fail in their efforts to get their dream product on the shelf because they don't do one of these steps correctly or spend too much time or money on one single step.  It makes or breaks their product.

What is interesting is that this is the most simplistic model I could make.  It doesn't include any marketing, sales, accounting, etc.  Imagine throwing in those complex components to give the chain that many more opportunities for things to go wrong.  It really is a difficult thing to get a product to market!

And yet dreamers make it happen.  So many people are able to navigate through this supply chain and achieve what was originally a mere concept that had no tangibility to it whatsoever.  What an incredible thing to be able to take something that does not exist - and turn it into a reality.  What a great example of faith!  To hope for something that you can't physically see yet - and then to turn it into a tangible good!  How exciting.

Well - I am a dreamer . . . sometimes.  I have a few ideas that I want to turn into reality.  You see - I am a child of God, a husband and a father.  I have 8 distinct images that I would like to "produce" - an image of myself, my marriage, and each one of my 6 children.  I have a vision of what I want to become or what I want them to become.  I have a vision of what I want my marriage to be.  Each of these visions require similar ingredients.  I want my children to have character and Christ-Like attributes.  I, personally, want to have character and Christ-Like attributes.  I want my marriage to be based on the bedrock of character and Christ-Like attributes.  To achieve these dreams - is there a supply chain that can make it happen?  Can we become a spiritual product?

It is merely an analogy - as I believe humans are not products to be made.  But if I have a dream or a vision of what I want to become, is there a series of steps that will ultimately allow those dreams to become a reality?  I thinks so.  What is the spiritual supply chain?  Here is my attempt to create an equally simplistic model as listed above.  This supply chain ends with a Christ-Like individual - which means that all of the attributes, or "ingredients", will have their own chain.  Integrity, Justice, Mercy, Love, the ability to be Consistent in righteousness, No Respecter of Persons, all have a chain that look very similar to one another.  When all the chains have been followed to their end - we have an individual with great character and godly attributes.  Here it is:

• Christ-Like Individual <-- Christ-Like Attribute Desired <-- Habits <-- Choices/Actions <--Priorities <-- Desires

Just as almost any product in the world today starts with Mining or Agriculture - so does any spiritual outcome begin with desire.  A case could be made that a bottle of shampoo starts with a desire too.  No one goes out and starts mining without a desire to do so.  No one grows crops without that same desire.  Desire shapes everything we do and everything we are.  If we desire the things of the world - surely we will get them - or, at the very least, we will spend our time trying to obtain them.  If we desire godly things - we will find ourselves spending our time and efforts in an attempt to obtain them. 

Why do some products fail and some succeed?  I think there are 2 reasons.  The first is easy to see and perhaps the easiest to fix.  I have seen people get so caught up in the supply chain that they lose track of their original dream or perhaps they find that their dream changes because of what others tell them is possible.  Sometimes they get caught up in one portion of the supply chain that they completely forget other parts of it.  In short - they get distracted with immediate problems and desires and therefor they sometimes lose focus on what they are really trying to accomplish.  Their ultimate desire gives way to the immediate ones.

The second thing is much more common.  Their dream, or their finished product just isn't good enough.  There are dreams that are doomed to fail from the beginning because they just aren't the right dream.  There are ideas that have little chance to succeed because the dream comes from an imperfect person who sometimes can't see clearly enough to know if it is a good idea or not.

The beauty of the gospel is that Christ's ideas and dreams never faileth.  We can hitch our dreams to an idea that can not fail.  We can have absolute assurance that becoming like Christ is not going turn out badly for us.  It is the only surefire bet amongst all the dreams and ideas of the world.  Our desires ultimately need to align with Heavenly Father's.  He won't send us on a wild goose chase.  If we can manage our way through the spiritual supply chain we will be a "winner" product.  We can't lose when we let him help us shape our dreams and desires.  That is pretty cool.

This may be a somewhat controversial train of thoughts - that we should not just chase any dream - but the right dreams. Our culture teaches that every dream is a good dream.  Let me first state that I don't think it is wrong to chase dreams that are not spiritual in nature. But I do think we need to be careful.  We may achieve our dream but at what cost?  I have watched a few movies here recently that would fall under the category of "feel good" movies.  They always start with some mammoth sized dream that seems impossible.  There is always some family member in the story who is made to be the bad guy because they don't think that this individual should risk their family, their fortune, and their good name in order to do chase a particular dream.

For a reference - I will mention the last 2 movies I saw like this.  Both involved horse racing.  One was a young girl who refused to give into her parents so she could chase a dream of racing her horse.  (Of course, she had no money to do this, so mooched it all from her parents by throwing tantrums and guilt trips at her parents - and some how she was the heroin of the story?).  The other was a mother who also put her family into financial jeopardy.  But she took it even one step further.  She left her family for months in order to achieve her dream of racing her horse.  What a great role model!!!

Dreams should be prayerfully considered and our priorities should be closely checked.  Our true desires manifest themselves in our priorities.  If our path to God and the sanctity of our families are negatively affected by a dream, perhaps we are chasing the wrong dream.  Even if we win fame, fortune, and personal fulfillment, have we paid too big a price?  If I could play in the NBA right now - should I?  I am not sure I am able to judge the proper dreams for others to chase,  as I know that God has different purposes for each individual.  But it does bother me that our popular culture teaches us that any dream we have, we should go after it.  American Idol is all about teaching people to chase their dreams of being a famous musician.  Sports shares the message that "you could be the next Michael Jordon".  These are ideas that are flawed from the outset.  They are wrong dreams to to hang our hat on.  They are not "winners" even if by some major bit of luck you achieve that dream.  They will not mold us into the final product that never faileth.  Meanwhile, most youth who chase those dreams will fail even in achieving that worldly honor that they seek. 

I shared my visions of my children earlier in this post, and I can tell you that none of my dreams involve celebrity or riches.  Those things scare the dickens out of me.  I want children of character.  I want children with courage.  I want children with testimony and conviction.

Chasing dreams is important.  But having the right dream is even more so.