4544 means baby bok choy

I look at things differently than the average person. Or I guess I should say I look at produce items differently than the average person. I don’t see spaghetti squash, I see 4776. I don’t see asparagus, I see 4080. I don’t see nectarines, I see 4378. I don’t see white onions, I see 4663. My life has been turned into a game of numbers. I cannot go a meal without running the numbers through my head (tonight I had 4076, 3151, 3121 and 4163… to you, that means I ate a salad). I cannot watch tv without saying all the numbers as they illuminate my screen. Basically, when I see produce, I think about the codes. Or if I happen to see a number that signifies a code (house numbers, phone numbers, etc), I think about the vegetable it means in my produce-laden world. It is something I cannot help, it just happens.

The reason I think in produce codes is because it is how I spend my days. 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. If I am not putting produce out onto the shelves all day, I am ringing it through the check stand. After spending a good 40 hours each week with these codes, they become a part of me. For the three months of the year I spend in the grocery store, the codes and I are one. Upon arriving back at school and leaving my glamorous grocery life behind, the codes slowly begin to fade away. I probably won’t remember that 4544 means baby bok choy come next February. It is doubtful that I will know 4629 means leeks in the panic of finals week.

The bottom line: when I am no longer spending everyday with these codes and have distractions on every side, I quickly forget.

When I am faithful about spending time with God and taking time to get to know Him, He becomes part of who I am (just like the codes are a part of who I am for the months of May, June, and July). But just like the codes that begin to vanish the moment I leave the grocery store, the relationship I have with Christ can just as easily fall away if I neglect spending time with Him. I cannot remember produce codes if I only work an hour each week. Likewise, I cannot build a relationship with Christ if I meet with him irregularly.

The great thing is, when I return to my grocery glory after spending 9 months away, the codes find their way back to the forefront of my mind within the first few days. After being afraid I would never recall the hundreds of PLU codes I spent last summer memorizing, I was shocked to find I remembered 4520 meant long stemmed artichoke on my first day back. When we fall away from Christ, we can rest assured that He will take us back. We don’t have to “start over” because He has been there with us all along. The codes never left my memory; Christ never leaves our hearts. He is always there waiting for us to pursue the relationship. Spend time with Him and he will be part of you.