Day 8 – Mac ‘n’ Cheese

Day 8 – Have you ever bought a box of off brand macaroni and cheese? It just does not taste the same. I'm not really sure what Kraft puts in their mac 'n' cheese but I have not tasted a good substitute. It isn't for a lack of trying different types. Yes, I realize that box macaroni and cheese is not real macaroni and cheese but you get my drift. I have even compared labels of macaroni and cheese boxes and it will look identical. However, they taste completely different and well; there truly just isn't a substitute.
I have been shopping at Aldi lately, an off brand discount grocery store. It is so much cheaper but if you don't pay attention to the labels, you might end up buying a box full of something you hadn't planned. For example, if you buy a box of cereal, it might have twice the amount of sugar or fat as the original brand. For the most part though, you can trust that the produce and other general items are exactly the same.
It made me stop and think about how there are people all around us who come in different shapes and sizes and backgrounds – packages if you will (to continue my grocery analogy). When we meet them and they tell us their background, we must trust that what they are saying is true and take it at face value. Just like reading the label on an item we eat…we trust what the label says is correct. However, when we go to eat our food, it might taste completely different. Or, when we get to know the inside of a person, we might see something completely unusual that doesn't match the packaging.

While I was doing my mile today, I was reflecting on a situation that happened at Bible Study this week. There was a woman who showed up and was handing out flyers. It was a flyer to promote her speaking business. Although I thought it was odd, I was intrigued because I, too, am a speaker and wanted to see about what topics she was speaking as well as how she was promoting her business. I didn't know she was brand new at Bible Study. She kept commenting about how she helps women in their walk with God. Again, it sounded good. Then, after we broke up into smaller groups for discussion about our study, she asked a very serious question. She asked if all of the little details in the Bible were really that important. Let's just say that if a huge police siren could have been going off, it was in my head. It made me realize that her depth just wasn't there. While she believed in God, she was missing the big ingredients that make it soooo juicy and inviting. I pray that she finds the right mentors in her life to help nurture that desire in her heart to learn more about God. I am also extremely grateful that those huge red sirens go off in my head because it makes me realize that God was right when he said, they will know us by our love. It also made me realize how VERY important it is to be careful of those who say they believe or that are teaching the word. He says in Matthew 7: 15-20
¹⁵"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ¹⁶By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Be careful what you believe in without checking the word. Check the label so to speak and make sure that your sirens are not going off showing you something false.
Where does God try to help you see and hear the sirens?