Foam Stonehenge

Mary’s Monday Musings to Quilt Encouragement

Foam Stonehenge

The picture’s background gives away the fact this is not the Stonehenge built in England from enormous stones. Instead, it’s a model made from Styrofoam displayed at a fall festival near Washington, D.C.  I wonder what motivated someone to make a foam Stonehenge. Since the dimensions were the same as the English attraction, it was fun getting a little of the feel of its size even if it was obviously fake, and the massiveness of weighty stones was missing. Standing there, we wondered how awesome it would be to actually stand by the original gigantic boulders. Most likely that foam model is as near as I’ll ever come to walking around the real Stonehenge. What else is there where I might substitute a look-alike for the real thing?

I wouldn’t want to substitute anything for the face to face love of family and friends. I like to keep pictures of them around, but flesh and blood presence is best. I find engaging in the back and forth conversation with someone on the telephone satisfies more than a voiceless text. I don’t want to exchange the sound of a loved one’s voice for a foam greeting card. Still I’m thankful for all the substitutes available to maintain some interaction with loved ones or to provide an appreciated substitute for the blessing of a face to face encounter. I can be thankful for a substitute at the same time maintaining hope to experience the real McCoy-the genuine presence of loved ones.

In the same way, nothing substitutes for a relationship with Jesus Christ. There are no substitutes for gratifying evidences that His love is real and tangible in our lives. The Bible is not a person, but it is a record of the life of Jesus Christ on the earth. Although a letter is not a substitute for a relationship with a person, the letter does record that a relationship exists between us. So, by reading the Bible, we can discover who Jesus is, and through prayer, we can have conversations where we tell him what is on our heart and watch for His love in action in our lives. We can trust our senses that He is alive and good.