A LESSON AND A WARNING

I think there's a lesson and a warning here. I know there is!

My favorite sweet treat, after I gave up chocolate, was a candy known as Maple Nut Goodies, made by the candy company Brach. 

And then, one day, the unthinkable happened. It was no longer anywhere to be found. A Google search revealed the company had been sold to a new manufacturer who kept the Brach brand name, but  discontinued this particular item.

Fast forward to Easter 2026--several years later--when my daughter surprised me with a giant bag of them she had found on a visit to Cracker Barrel. I was so excited I couldn't wait to get home and open up the bag. 

When I did, I noticed the candy didn't look quite the same as it used to, and when I tasted it, it was okayish, but nothing like it used to taste either. Even the picture on the front of the bag, on closer inspection, wasn't quite the same. 

That's when I noticed that it wasn't the real thing. It had not been manufactured by Brach, but by a different company.

Whereas it started out as a disappointment because of the noticeable difference in taste, I kept going back to the bag for more, and each time I did so, the difference started to fade, until gradually I wasn't noticing it at all, and was quite enjoying my treat.

Not that there's anything wrong about enjoying a sweet treat, but the realization of how quickly my taste buds had dulled, made me think of the many warnings in Scripture to stay vigilant in these last days lest we be distracted, deceived, and spiritually blinded as our eyes become more and more fixed on the pleasures and cares of this world instead of the things of God. Always busy, always entertained, but seldom watching and praying or aware of the evil rising around us, until it is too late. (Luke 21:34, 2 Timothy 3:1-4, 1 Peter 5:8, Matthew 24:37). 

Reminds me of the story of the frog dropped into a pot of water that would have immediately hopped out if the water was hot. If the water was cool, however, and only slowly heated, the frog would not notice the gradual change in temperature until it is too late and it gets boiled to death.

----------------------------------------------------------

In those days before the flood, the people were

enjoying banquets and parties and weddings

right up to the time Noah entered his boat.

People didn't realize what was going to

happen until the flood came and swept them

all away. That is the way t will be when the

Son of Man comes.  (Matthew 24:37-39, NLT)