The other day, a scammer called and congratulated me for winning the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes. The guy on the other end of the call couldn’t understand why the camera crew had not shown up at my front door. He was concerned that the deadline for filming the special Super Bowl commercial, in which I would star, was approaching rapidly. Nevertheless, he would deposit my winnings into my checking account. All I needed do was give him the account information and I would be a rich man. I admit to “jerking this guy’s chain” for several minutes. I told him to hang on while I looked for my check book. I will confess to glee in listening to his voice change when he thought I was “buying it.” He eventually hung up on me. Another million dollars down the tubes!
We have seen the sad stories of the unfortunate people who fell for these tricks. Folks part with their money to get rich or as a benevolent gesture of helping a friend overseas who finds themselves in a foreign jail. Funny, all those foreign jails are located very close to a Western Union facility. Wire that money and the incarcerated will send a trusted law enforcement person to receive the funds, pay the bail, and set the prisoner free. An Amazon gift card is also good for setting the prisoners free. This scam hangs out in social media and will come from one of your “friends.”
You are confident you would not fall for one of these scams. No one is going to separate you from your hard-earned money.
I’m wondering if we aren’t scammed in other ways. While our money is protected our hearts have been stolen. Our attitude about life has been coopted by circumstances and characters who breezed through our lives.
We are enslaved when we view ourselves through the eyes of other people or when we rigorously evaluate our performance and almost always find ways to feel displeased with something we have said or done. We look in the mirror and the voice of condemnation whispers to us, “you are not good enough.”
I wonder how our lives would change if for one instant we could see ourselves as Jesus sees us. The next time the voice of condemnation calls into your soul questioning your worth and dignity as a human being, hang up.
You are a child of God, a joint heir with Jesus. You are loved. You are accepted. Nothing you have done or could do will change God’s mind about you. You are His child.
