Not too long ago, I went for a walk and came upon this tree. A Wish Tree. How ingenious! After all, how many Wish Trees have you come across lately?

Creativity is everywhere but I find that children tend to be more creative than adults. God made us in His image and He is the Master Creator. We have the creative gene!

Unfortunately, we are taught to color inside the lines and think inside the box. As adults we have to relearn the natural art of thinking outside the box – like this Wish Tree. Who’s to say their wishes won’t come true? Doesn’t the book of James tell us that we don’t have because we don’t ask? Are we not instructed to step out in faith? Perhaps this is a step of faith for a creative mind.

I hope their wishes come true. I hope they never lose their creativity and sense of adventure. I have my own wish list – under another name. Maybe I’ll go and make myself a Wish Tree!

Every day we are enticed to buy brand A over brand B. We are enticed by sales and special deals and coaxed by offers that promise the world. We are tempted by tastes and smells that tickle our pallet and sometimes lured by the bait of the enemy.

Think about some of the decisions you make. How do you reach those decisions? Are you being drawn or led by God or are you lured by the enemy – with his candy-coated poison?

I was able to lure those raccoons because they trusted the owners who faithfully fed them every afternoon. The yard was filled with the little masked bandits. Some dared to eat from my hand but the majority kept at varying distances.

I thoroughly enjoyed this unique experience. They too enjoyed the plethora of peanut butter sandwiches so graciously provided by their trusted friends – even though the meal was delivered by a stranger.

Had I been an enemy, I could have caused great harm. It causes me to think. How often are we so consumed with what we see before us that we don’t look past the enticement to see if it truly is a blessing?

We may get into trouble with some people and feel like we are “in the dog house” – but we are never in trouble with God. He loves us!

No matter what we do, God’s love never changes. He realizes that our poor choices are the result of a lack of understanding. If we truly saw how much He loves us and the extent of His love, we would choose to follow His plan for our lives.

Think about the best relationship you could possibly have. A relationship with God is better! God’s not religious. He invented adventure, happiness, joy, success, peace, fulfillment, and so much more. God even created sex – to be enjoyed!

Religion has painted a corrupted picture of who God is. Clever move. It keeps so many people at a distance from the love of their lives. God is the ONLY One who loves people unconditionally – all the time. He is the ONLY One who accepts people – flaws and all. He selflessly created an amazing plan for each one of us but we must push past the lies to connect with Him.

Will you dare to do that? Will you dare to push past any wrong perceptions of God – that you may not even know you have? Try it! You’ll never be disappointed. Simply say to God: Reveal Yourself to me God and show me Your love for me by breaking through all religious and wrong views I have of You. In Jesus’ name. Amen!