(photo by Pure Julia on Unsplash)

Water bubbled over rocks, the scent of pine filling the air. We wanted to find gold. A dozen ten-year-olds laughed as we scooped the sand; our hands were cold and red as we raised our pans out of the icy stream. “Sift it and see what you find,” our Girl Scout leader encouraged. Sarah squealed. “Gold! I’ve found gold!” Determined to be the first to congratulate my new best friend, I stopped short when I saw her face. Sad and discouraged, she shook her head. “It’s not real. Our leader said it’s called pyrite—fool’s gold.” We stood together staring in disbelief at the sparkling gold flakes. Shrugging our shoulders, we went back to panning, believing there was still hope. The question remained. How will I know if the bits of rock in my pan are real or fake?

Memories of panning for gold came to mind when I read the news. A politician known for instigating hate and violence upon our nation’s capitol building is running for president. I did not understand how a majority of evangelical Christians could support this candidate in a previous election—until I remembered the pyrite.

Sadly, many are deceived by Christian nationalism and church leaders who encourage members to worship a political candidate more than God. Doing that will only lead to—you guessed it—fool’s gold.

My Girl Scout leader could have told Sarah the glitter in her pan was the real thing, but she told the truth. Even though Sarah would like to believe she had discovered gold, it was not fair to mislead her.

As a follower of Jesus, I don’t want to worship a person or political party over God. As a follower of Jesus, I don’t want to believe every false spirit, but intimately know my Lord so I can tell the difference between real and fake. (See 1 John 4:1)

I pray as we move closer to the 2024 elections that we study the candidates and compare them to Jesus. If the sparkle doesn’t match the real thing—sift again.

False prophets will appear and deceive many people. (Matthew 24:11) Don’t fall for fool’s gold—no matter how shiny it may appear on the surface.