The Lure

Every so often, something shows up in the mailbox that makes me laugh out loud. The latest was a glossy, official‑looking envelope announcing that I was a “finalist” in a Viking River Cruise giveaway.  According to the letter, all I had to do was pull a tab, scratch a circle, match a number, call within 48 hours, bring my driver’s license and a credit card, and attend something called the “Great America Cruising Expo.”

These fancy mailings aren’t cheap.  I have done some of that work in my past.  Muriel (above) found a creative use for her junk mail.)  So part of me always wonders if this might actually be legitimate.  But then the logical corner of my brain says, “wait a minute there, Thomas.”

 Hand over all my personal information, pack my flip flops and sunscreen and get ready to party.

Nothing to it.

I was going to ask, “Do they really think we are that stupid?”  But, I have answered my own question.  Yes, they think we are greedy and gullible and even worse, they think we are so nice we won’t ignore them.

So, this shiny mailer was attempting to reach my greed button and attempting to reach my polite button at the same time.  The advertisers of these scams also think we are too polite not to reply to such a once in a lifetime (their words)  wonderful opportunity.

I don’t know if I am an outlier to my demographic, but all this flyer accomplished was to make me mad.  I tossed it in the recycle bucket and that was it.

But as obviously phony as the advertisement was, it got me thinking about something deeper — something true about all of us, no matter our age.  Almost all people want to be nice, so we reply to ads like this and get sucked in.  But understand, those who are selling all these “get something for nothing” scams aren’t being nice to us.  They are trying to take advantage of our human propensity to sin and do stupid things, or hoping we will be nice and gullible and they’ll get us that way.

We all have that little spark inside whispering, “Maybe this time I’ll be the one who gets the free stuff.”
And the truth is… we won’t.  Not from a scratch‑off mailer. Not from a mystery expo. Not from a stranger on the phone.  Not from a lottery ticket pedaled by a guy sitting on a yacht in Monaco.  (Sorry Texas Lottery.)

Greed isn’t always the cartoon villain we imagine. Most of the time, it’s not even greed at all. It’s just hope wearing the wrong coat. It’s the very human longing for life to be a little easier, a little lighter, a little more generous to us for once.

Scammers and advertisers know that. They don’t prey on stupidity as much as they depend on our longing, loneliness, hope and yes, greed.

They know we want to believe that blessings can come wrapped in shiny envelopes. They know we want to believe that something good might fall into our laps without effort or cost. They know we want to believe that maybe — just maybe — this time the “free” thing might actually be free.

But it’s not free, partner.  It just not.

The oldest scam in the world is still the one from Genesis 3 and the chatty little snake:
“You will not surely die… you will be like God.”
Translation:
“You can get something for nothing.”

And humanity has been falling for that pitch ever since.

The older I get, the more I realize that the things that truly matter —  love, friendship, purpose, grace — aren’t free because they’re cheap. They’re free because Jesus Christ paid the cost.

And the things that promise the world for nothing?  Those usually end up costing more than we ever expected.

Every advertiser promises to save us money, but what they are trying to do is get us to spend money.   They are stealing valuable personal information that could cost us dearly if we cough it up.

There is another saying that comes to mind, “there are no free lunches.”

Again, I was tempted to save $25 on a new e-book reader a few days ago.  It was a “good deal” and would save $25 – even now that’s half a tank of gas.

But, I found a way to save $115. I didn’t buy it.  The reader I have is several years old, but it works just fine.

Where we spend our money matters.  Why we spend our money matters even more.

Are we seeking to be the one who dies with the most toys?  Or are we seeking to be a steward of our time, talent and treasure to give all glory to our heavenly Father?

The mailers will keep coming. The phone calls will keep ringing. The “finalist” notifications will keep arriving. And every time, we will feel that tiny flicker of what if.

But wisdom — the kind that comes with years, with faith, with a few scars and a few stories — teaches us to smile, shake our heads, and drop it all into the recycle bin.

Because real blessings don’t come through scratch‑off cards or can’t‑miss opportunities. They come through grace. Through community. Through love. Through the quiet, steady goodness of God.

And those aren’t scams. Those are gifts.