Deal or No Deal?

I'm a bit of a sucker for free samples.

Which is why I ended up in a new high-end cosmetics store in the Brandon's Shopper's Mall last week.

I don't generally frequent stores like that, but it was the first store in view, coming in the side entrance as we did. And there was Almog, as she later introduced herself, silver tray in hand, standing at the wide entrance to her minimalist store.

I glanced at the individual serving cups on the tray holding tiny dollops of fine hand creme. When I looked up, she caught my eye.

“Would you like to try some?”

Well, how could I resist? My children all dutifully trailed me into the store where I was offered a sample of the lotion which apparently had “diamond dust” in it, a feature which intrigued the boys.

I had barely selected my little cup of lotion when Almog invited me deeper into her store where she could “show me something.”  It was a fancy 4-sided nail file to make my nails strong and shiny, which she demonstrated on one of my nails. I'm also a bit of a sucker for anything that vaguely hints of spa treatment.

And then she demonstrated on my 6-year-old daughter, who is also inclined in that direction (the boys refused the treatment), all the while promoting her products in her charmingly French-accented voice.

I knew the session was building up to a specific sales pitch, the promotion of the month: a set of lotion, nail file and other assorted oils – all for only $79.95 – but this included free refills for 2 years! Not only that, I could receive two kits for the price of one! When I told her I wasn't interested (due to the fact that I had two years earlier acquired a similar product involving a similar scheme, the evidence of which languishes unused in my closet), she moved over to her computer to “check” to see if she could offer me a more suitable deal. In fact, she could! I could buy the kit for only $39.95, free refills included!

I finished rubbing the diamond dust lotion into my hands, gracefully declined and exited the store.

Almog went to great lengths to lure me into her store and make a sale.  Not so unlike the offer God makes to His people in Isaiah 55:1-3:

Come, all you who are thirsty,

come to the waters,

and you who have no money,

come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without cost.

Why spend money on what is not bread,

and your labour on what does not satisfy?

Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,

and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

Give ear and come to me;

hear me, that your soul may live.

God does everything in his power to supply me with everything I need, setting the price at such an accessible rate. And yet how many of God's blessings are languishing unused in my closet? And why do I so often “gracefully decline” having my needs fulfilled? So often persist in going shopping at “stores” that specialize in false advertising, with vendors that exact exorbitant rates?

Pride, I suppose.

I feel I ought to be able to provide for myself. Or at least should be obliged to work hard to achieve the things I have, maintain some claim to my accomplishments.  And besides, that's where the infamous and nebulous "everyone else" shops.

So, I can buy into the lie that says I am obliged to foot the bill for all of life's provisions, or I can believe God who tells me he's already paid the bill and offers me abundant life just for the asking (John 10:10). You wouldn't think that deciding which deal to sign up for would be such a hard decision to make.