I recently ordered a pair of shoes from a company that advertised on Facebook.

I assumed the company was legitimate. They announced being an American company, leading me to believe the shoes were American-made.

My credit card was charged within five minutes of me placing my order. Two days later, I received an email thanking me for my order. Three days later, I received another message stating my order had shipped from another country.

It has been over a month now, with no word of a delivery date.

The company was very creative, hiding the truth. When I fully investigated this company’s details, I realized it was based in one country, but owned and operated in another.

Deception and deceit seem to come easily today. Often, we are promised one thing, only to receive something completely different.

We have a discount food store in our community. The Christians who own it don’t pretend to be something they are not. They routinely help those in need. I have seen them give food away to someone who did not have enough money to cover their entire grocery bill.

Having God in our lives gives us opportunities to create change in our life and in the lives around us — change that promotes love, joy, truth, and hope for a better world.