“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ” 1 Peter 5:8
Rarely do I make Jello Jigglers. In fact, I don’t think I ever made them as a mom, only as a grandma. My daughter had me make them for a birthday party several years ago and I was shocked. Instead of the normal two cups of water to a pouch of jello, she said to add 2/3 of a cup of water to a pouch. She also had me spray the shape mold with baking spray so the jello would come out easily and cleanly. In my head I thought, “yuck, greasy, over-concentrated jello bites, who will eat these?” Apparently everyone. And watch your hand as you try to snag the last one.
In this whole food, no-sugar, organic everything era, Jello Jigglers survive. I suspect it is their addictive nature. A small burst of intense sweet flavor. Just one won’t hurt. And one more. And one more.
Whether you are a jello addict, or a drug addict, or a sports-aholic, most of us have something in our lives that is hard to say no to; something that exerts more power over us than we exert over it. It may be a perfectly innocuous item, not sinful or illegal, just affecting your behavior more than you believe. Something or even someone that is beginning to or does have more control over you than you have over it.
From overeating to undereating to gambling to alcohol to cell phone usage, to playing a specific game or binging a show, to pornography, to escape reading or just plain sleeping all the time, a plethora of behaviors call to us, promising pleasure or at least a moment of relief from the rest of life. And we crave that relief, that cessation of responsibility and regimen and duty and obedience. Just one Jello Jiggler. Just one drink. Just one bet. Just this once.
These enticements become more and more difficult to resist and before long it feels like hurricane force winds drawing us into their grasp. God warns Cain about this in the very first book of the Bible. Genesis chapter 4: 6-7 reads “The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, and you must master it.”
Don’t be fooled, you have an adversary who desires to rule over you, to pull you away from the God who made you and loves you. Peter tells us “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) The verse begins with the admonition to “be watchful and sober-minded”. I like the term watchful. It does not instigate fear, merely alerts us to the fact that in all things we must be intentionally aware.
We must be intentionally aware that our adversary will use anything he can to lure us away from following Jesus. Its easy to see how Satan uses evil to keep people from God, but Satan also uses everyday busyness and addictive gadgets and behaviors to keep us from entering into a close relationship with our Creator. Satan is a master of the ‘Just one more won’t hurt’ mentality.
One is a small number. What could ‘one’ hurt? We make excuses and pretend in our minds that just one is no big deal. But then one becomes two, and two becomes 15 minutes, and although you told your kids you were coming to play with them 30 minutes ago you still haven’t left the couch. One Jello Jiggler seems like a sweet treat but six rather sit your stomach making you feel ill. Compound that one drink by several and see how you feel in the morning. Satan deceives us. He always has and he always will.
I’ve been pondering this concept over the summer as I have more time with my grandchildren. They are amazing and have amazing parents; but they are still fallible humans created by God. They are getting older and screens and screen time call to them like honey to Winnie-the-Pooh. Their summer options seem endless–swimming pools, trampolines, scooters, hoverboards, games, friends, travel–yet I hear this line over and over, “really, Grandma, I just want time on the Switch.”
What is your Switch? Your Jello Jiggler? What activity or item trumps everything else in demanding your time and energy and adulation and servitude? Is it making just one more level up on a game instead of spending time with your kids or grandkids? Is it checking facebook or instagram or a news or sports feed instead of going to bed with your spouse? Is it eating or drinking more than you need to in order to feel that buzzy satisfaction? What draws you away from the best that God has to offer you? What rules over you, whether you fully admit it or not?
As you go through the month ahead, pay close attention to the way the things of this world effect your behavior. What things draw you closer to God? What things take your attention and adoration away from Almighty God? My prayer is that you will not be ruled by the things of this world, but that you will allow God to lead you into His presence and care. Instead of just one more whatever, try spending one more minute in prayer.
Jello Jigglers
- 1 package of any flavor Jello
- 2/3 cup boiling water
In a 1 or 2 cup measuring bowl combine 1 package of jello powder with 2/3 cup boiling water. Stir until granules are dissolved. Spray molds with baking spray for easy removal. Pour into molds and chill until set.
I made a bit of a mess when pouring!
