Water-floats for the pool don't last too long with us.  We manage to include a hole or tear in a float within its first couple of uses.  We have never taken the time to see a pool as something relaxing.  We are way too busy jumping, dunking, flipping, and brutally splashing.

So, off I go to buy a new float. "Hey!  An inner tube!" I think as I shop,  "That looks fun!  We can all have fun on one of those!"  I pay for my newly found treasure, and we head for the pool.  Once at the pool, the kids jump in, and I pull out the package enclosing the float, and smile at the lady in the picture as she holds a huge inner tube.  This may take forever to blow up!... In no time, I have blown up this tiny black thing that looks like a wagon wheel for tots. What is this?!?  I throw the tube in the pool with the children.  "What is this?"  they ask.  "Your new float." I answer as upbeat as possible.  "But I thought it was going to be bigger." shares one child.  "Oh, you feel deceived?" I can't help it. "This lady on the package is apparently two feet tall, which is why the float must have looked so big in the picture.  Who knew?"  I then thought of a time when I bought an inflatable water toy for my son when he was a toddler.  There again, the picture showed a family splashing and soaked from the toy's water capacity.  I remember picturing (in my own deceived mind) a swimming and diving lesson in the picture.  Once blown up, the bottom of my foot was hardly covered in water, not to mention that only one foot would even fit in this mini water park (very, very mini).

Back at the pool, I felt deceived, lied to, suckered.  I thought the world around me is just like that, guaranteeing this, selling that, giving that 'too good to be true' opportunity.  We build up our hope, jump in with faith that what we are hearing is true, and are then left feeling foolish and naïve for ever believing, and for ever trusting, for ever hoping.  So the next time I hear, "I have an offer for you that you CAN'T refuse!"  I think, "Yeah, right.  I'm not getting burned again.  I'm smarter now."  As I dove deeper into (no, not the pool) my bitterness, the love and guidance of God poured over me (better than any pool), and the Bible verse that came into my head was John 12:31:

NKJV

God is distinguished from this world, and He is quite opposite compared to the world.  By the Holy Spirit, I was reminded that the "ruler of this world" (John 14:30) and "the god of this age has blinded" (2 Corinthians 4:4) those in the world; this ruler being Satan.  He has blinded us into thinking there is nothing to hope for.  We will only again be deceived. Consequently, there are so many people that believe God's promises of forgiveness, love, guidance, and eternal life are, like everything else, hopeless.  Too good to be true.  Wow, the harvest sure is full, isn't it? 

Promises from God are wonderfully worth diving into...

All NKJV

These are true promises that swell up hope and joy in any heart that ponders them, and then experiences these faithful promises by our faithful God!  So go ahead!  Forget about the inner tube that is slowly turning into a hat for the kids (a hole, already?).  Jump into eternal, divine truth that will never leave you feeling foolish.  It's so refreshing!

Ansley and dear friend Elly Grace