What’s Really in the Box?
Megan Breedlove 
Imagine you’re a seven-year-old child who has just received a gift from someone. You’re happy about that, of course. You thank the giver, and you open the box.
Now, imagine that inside the box is not just one gift, but a whole slew of gifts! You find a paint set, a craft kit, some candy, and ten or fifteen other cool-looking things. Now you’re not just happy, you’re delighted! You can hardly wait to begin playing with all your new stuff.
At least that’s how Jessica felt recently when she opened a box to find a treasure trove of gifts from a family friend. She was thrilled! As soon as she could, she opened the paint set.
Actually, she had to have me open the paints. The lids were stuck to the containers by hardened paint. When I finally got the lids open, Jessica discovered that inside the containers was…more dried paint. They were useless. (These were not the kind of paints you could simply add water to.)
Disappointed, Jessica moved on to the next item, a craft set that would help you turn an ordinary jar into a jar with a cute ladybug top. It came with googly eyes and everything. The only problem was…that the back had come off one of the googly eyes before she even touched it.
The candy? Most of it was melted into shapeless lumps that were stuck to the wrappers. The other items? Some of them worked. Others were broken or unusable.
I’m sure you can imagine Jessica’s disappointment when she realized that her awesome gift wasn’t as great as it had appeared to be at first. It was sweet of the giver to attempt to give her a nice gift. But the gift wasn’t what the giver had intended to give, I’m sure, and it wasn’t what Jessica had thought she was receiving.
There are other times in life, too, when we don’t get what we thought we were getting—when we expect something marvelous and find out that it’s really worthless, or maybe even harmful. I’m talking about when Satan gives us a beautifully wrapped gift that looks like everything we ever wanted, and we open it, only to find that what’s inside is dry and dead.
When do we accept gifts from Satan? When we believe his promises of glitter and perfection, despite the fact that they contradict God’s revealed word, or what we know He wants for our lives.
If you just keep nagging your husband, you can get him to change, Satan offers us. We gleefully accept, tear off the wrapping, and find that we’ve only undermined our marriage and made our entire household miserable.
If God really loved you, He’d be helping you more than He is now, Satan whispers. Go find your own means of making yourself feel better. So we do, only to find that at the end of the day, we feel much, much worse.
God’s plan for your life isn’t going to make you feel very good, Satan tells us. Look—here’s another plan that will be way more satisfying! The problem is, when we unwrap the promised satisfaction, we find that there’s nothing inside.
Friends, Satan’s whole purpose for your life is to destroy you, and/or use you to destroy others. He’ll tell you whatever he has to tell you to get you to go along with him. He’ll promise you the moon and the stars. He’ll convince you to follow, and when he’s through with you, he’ll leave you lying broken at the side of the road. And then he’ll go off to have a party while you’re left to pick up the pieces.
Is there any area of life in which you’re doing things your own way (or Satan’s way)? Any place you’re forsaking God’s commands and plans for something you think will be better or more satisfying?
Don’t let Satan trick you. There’s never a good gift inside the box. There’s only disappointment and shattered dreams.
Jesus offers you living water and eternal life. He can deliver, on both counts.
The devil offers you whatever your heart desires. But he can’t deliver, because he has no power to truly satisfy your soul.
Whose gifts will you truly seek after?
John 10:10—The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (NIV)
John 8:44b—When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (NIV)
1 Peter 5:8—Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (NIV)
Have you ever looked around your house and wondered, Where in the world did I get all this stuff???
Yesterday, on Father’s Day, I called my father and told him how much he meant to me. I posted a photo of us on Facebook with a caption that told him again that I loved him. I posted a tribute to my husband, who’s been the wonderful father I knew he would be, and a note of thanks and love to my father-in-law.
I still remember what my favorite donut was when I was a little girl: the strawberry icing one at Dunkin’ Donuts. I loved that donut. I chose it every time I had the chance.
Last week, my three middle children—Kenny, Lindsey, and Jessica—and I went to see a baseball game at Globe Life Park in Arlington, where the Texas Rangers play. Although I can’t quote you any statistics or tell you much about the history of baseball, I do understand quite a bit about how the game is played, including things like strategy and rules.
The other day, I was sitting at the computer when Timmy came into the room. “Do you want to sit on my lap?” I asked him.
As far as I’m concerned, potty training is the worst part of parenting. Cleaning up vomit in the middle of the night? Not a problem. Changing overflowing, dirty diapers? No biggie. But trying to teach a child how to use the potty and then convince him to do so? The very thought makes me shudder.
I hope your children told you on Mother’s Day how much they love you. I know that if they gave you carefully printed cards expressing their love, those cards meant the world to you. And if they made you breakfast in bed, or served you in some special way, I’m sure your heart rejoiced, as mine did when my children did these things for me.
Two days ago, my daughters Jessica and Lindsey became the proud owners of one crested gecko each. “Gecky” and “Easy Cheese” now reside in large plastic containers, with a paper towel in the bottom, plenty of food, and some fake leaves/branches to climb on and hide in. My girls have done their research, and they know how to take care of their geckos. The thing they most like doing with their new pets, of course, is playing with them.