Counterfeits

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A year or so ago, I decided to shop online for a brand new pair of UGG’s in my favorite color. I had purchased a pair of these comfy boots the previous year and was very satisfied with them. Though they had cost me, I figured they were worth their weight in gold. Only on this shopping spree, I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend that kind of money again.

So I googled “UGG boots” and there came up a whole list on the Google page. I clicked on one site that read, “uggbootscheap.” Right away, I had this funny feeling that I could be looking at a counterfeit site. But when I compared the prices from the original UGG store and this one-  for the “same exact” boot-  I made my decision. The picture looked the same. The description was the same. But the prices were so different! I even read the site’s “Our Promise To You” tag that assured the customer that what they were selling was indeed genuine. Before I clicked “add to cart,” I asked my dad if I could go ahead with my purchase. He thought that the price was a little fishy, but ended up saying that it was up to me. Without another thought, I had purchased my boots.

Throughout the week, every time I thought of those boots in transit, I had a sick feeling. “What if they really are fakes?” Quickly, I would push the thought away. I did not want to think about the possibility that I had been gypped.

A few days later, I came home from work to find a very beat up package. I knew what it was, and for some reason I couldn’t bring myself to open it up. I dreaded what I would find. As long as I didn’t open that box, those UGG’s were genuine. I lingered for hours, and finally decided to face it.

You can probably guess the outcome. Everything from the inside lining, to the tag, to the rubber soles screamed to me, “COUNTERFEIT! IMITATION! FAKE! LIES!” I was so upset at that cheap company who had promised me I would be getting something real. I was upset that such scandalous sites were not all shut down! I was disappointed in myself for being so hasty in my buying and for  not being a little wiser.

Still not wanting to believe that I had paid for imitations, I went online and investigated fake UGG’s. On the official UGG site, I saw what I had not seen before- a page on Counterfeit Education. I felt very silly as I read, “A counterfeit product is any imitation or fake made with the intent to deceive the consumer into believing it to be genuine.” There were warnings on how to protect yourself from being deceived and how to avoid it from happening again.

I did feel deceived. I felt like I had been lied to. I felt like a fool for believing their “lines.” I went to my dad and told him what had happened and asked him to help me return my foolish purchase. Sadly, he informed me that the sellers had made it impossible for me to return, charging more money on shipping than what I had spent on the actual product! I was stuck with it. To make it worse, the color wasn’t even what I had ordered.

Now every time I look at those boots, I am reminded of something I often teach to young women: Value, worth, counterfeits and how to recognize “fool’s gold.”

For you see, my counterfeit UGG’s are much like Satan’s counterfeit of intimacy. He is excruciatingly jealous over everything God has created and calls “good.” Our enemy is in a battle to take God’s beautiful creation and twist it into something horrendously ugly. He is subtle (crafty, cunning) and doesn’t want you to see the “fine print.” “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…”

Young people especially are the ones the thief is after. He sets traps on every street corner, every click of the mouse, every billboard cover, and dangles every form of sensuous bait in the faces of young people.  Not only does he tempt using outside influences, but through our God-given desires. Our enemy knows that in the innermost parts of every person, there is a desire to be loved, valued and appreciated. There is an innate desire in every human soul, to know and be known by another. This is the very definition of intimacy, and GOD created it! But just how Satan sees that the tree in the midst of the Garden was forbidden-  he sees that sexual intimacy outside of marriage is off limits.

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made…” He’s a liar and a cheat.He subtly whispers words of doubt, wanting us to question God’s word, His goodness, and His faithfulness to provide for all of our needs. “…And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

And sadly, so many are falling prey to the counterfeit.

So many are falling for fool’s gold, instead of waiting upon God to receive all of His riches in glory. We grow weary of waiting, brush away our misgivings, become hasty, and end up falling for and buying Satan’s imitation merchandise. He promises that it will be “Oh so good… Just one look… Just one time… You know you want it… If it feels good- do it! God doesn’t care about your needs anyway…” But those who are deceived will surely die. (Genesis 2:17)

So many are missing out on the real thing! So many have a wicked heart of unbelief when it comes to trusting God and His timing. We doubt that He can really provide for all of our needs and satisfy all of our deepest desires. We don’t believe that He is enough! We’ve fallen for the bait, believed the lies, and have bought in to into something that will only disappoint and hurt us down the line. “Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.” (Proverbs 20:17)

What is the real thing? How can we detect when something is counterfeit? By knowing the original. The United States Secret Service advises the public how to be aware of counterfeit money, which is to become familiar with genuine currency.  This can help us when it comes to detecting the devil’s lies. If you know Jesus Christ and His Word intimately-  you will know when you’re being offered “fool’s gold.”

Jesus Christ is the original. He is genuine. He is the real thing. You get what you pay for. Be assured: you’ll never regret paying the price you pay to have Him!

“…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10