Two thirds of the world is covered by water, and the rest is covered by Coke.
No matter where you are in the world, you can find Coke, Coca Cola that is.
Whether it is in the jungles of Panama, the bush of Botswana, or the rice fields of Thailand, I guarantee when you walk into a store, they will sell that refreshingly sweet liquid.
I know because this has been my life for the past 11 months. I’ve traveled to 13 different countries and not once did I really have to search to find it. I remember starting this trip back in January 2016. I was on my way to a hotel in Atlanta to meet up with the rest of my squad and I passed a gas station and went in to get my very last Coke for the year… or so I thought.
What I failed to realize was the sheer power that the Coca Cola Company carries. Every year, the company spends about 3.5 billion on global marketing. 3.5 BILLION!!! 3.5 billion dollars to be advertised on a Panamanian park bench, to be painted on a billboard in Botswana, and to be plastered all over semi truck in Thailand.
In some countries, Coke is actually cheaper than water. It doesn’t matter if you are among Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Atheists or Christians…It’s literally everywhere!
Okay but the point I’m making is that although it may not come in the same bottles or cans or have the same exact taste, it’s still there. Still sitting on that shelf with that beautiful red label. And regardless of these minor alterations, it’s still just as satisfying. After a long day of ministry in the sun, playing with a group of rowdy kids, or evangelizing till we can’t walk anymore, it has been so nice to enjoy a familiar taste with a good ole coke.
It has been my one constant American comfort. It might be a slight addiction, but I’ll deal with that later…
So ever since month 4 in Panama, I’ve seen so many similarities in Coke and Jesus. (I’ve wanted to blog about it for over 5 months). But what I’ve learned this year is that you can find Him anywhere in the world… if you’re looking.
Jesus can be found in the weirdest places when you least expect Him. He can be extremely quiet or obnoxiously loud. He can be young or old. He can black or white. He can even speak in Spanish, Creole, Setswana, Afrikaans, Portuguese, Khmer, Thai, Malay, or Indonesian. But no matter where you are in the world, He is there.
Whether it is the name they call Him, the songs they sing to Him, the buildings in which they meet with Him or the clothes they wear to honor Him, HE is STILL there, just as loving, just a caring, and just as satisfying… just like a Coke.
So I admit that I’ve always tried putting Him in a box, THE box. You know the box that all Christians talk about. The box that says He looks a certain way, talks a certain way, dresses a certain way, and will only respond if you follow steps A, B and C. The box that says Jesus is an American and the rest of the world just doesn’t get it…
Well… that is complete crap. I know it and you know it. First off, Jesus is not American, not at all. He is sooo much bigger and more powerful than we give Him credit for. He reaches so much farther than we could ever imagine. He interacts with people in ways most of us would think is crazy. He performs miracles that we thought were completely impossible. And it took me traveling around the world for a year to realize this. That Jesus isn’t struggling, He is really just fine.
He has sooo much more power than the Coca-Cola Company, if we only could open up our eyes to see it.
To be able to see and embrace the Father for not just what we know is possible, but the for the things we think are impossible.
To understand that we are never really going to fully understand until we come face-to-face.
To finally just accept that He loves us and wants us with NO strings attached.
To open up that dang box we put Him in and allow Him to actually work in our lives.
And to take ourselves out of that box too and realize the world has so much more for us and that we don’t have to be afraid.
And to walk in bravery because we know we are not alone as long as we have a Coke in our hand.
