Substitutes Don't Provide the Same Feeling

This past weekend, our one-year old daughter injured one of her fingers, when sitting on her little rocking chair incorrectly and tipping it over. Her cut was not too serious, but needed to be protected nonetheless. The real problem was that this finger was one of two fingers she sucks on to soothe and to fall asleep.

Needless to say, she found out quickly that band-aids do not taste very good, so she tried to bite it off to have access to just her finger again. Afraid she might swallow the band-aid, we took measures to protect against that by taping a sock on her hand for the rest of the day.

At bedtime, we took the sock off. She tried to suck on her fingers normally, but the band-aid was in the way, so she tried just the one finger. That did not work, so she tried another finger, then another, and then another. She tried different combinations of fingers, but nothing gave her the same feeling. My heart went out to her as I watched her trying so desperately to find something that would work for her. It was amazing how persistent she was at trying to fill this need and how distressed she was at not being able too.

Watching her through this whole experience reminded of how no substitute can take the place of God in our life.

Our hearts were designed to be filled up by the things of God and His love and to be in relationship with him. When we reject God and his love that spot in our heart is empty, and we try to fill it with lots of other things, trying desperately to get the same result. We try to fill it with love from others, or with the pursuit of material possessions, or with perceived power and control, or with drugs and alcohol.

However, none of those options alone, or in combination, can fill that void in the same way. We are still left wanting and distressed. The sad thing is the very things we use to try to fill that void actually prevent us from experiencing the real thing, just as my daughter’s band-aid kept her from her finger.

Let’s take the time today to look within our own hearts and see the things we are trying to substitute for the “real thing,” and ask God to help us replace those things with His love. However, let us not stop there. Be on the look- out for others who are desperately trying to fill the void with the things of this world, and boldly reach out to them, sharing with them the “real thing,” Jesus’ love and redemption.

My prayer for each of you today is that you feel that complete sense of calm contentment that is a heart filled with the love and peace of God and that you aid someone else in accepting that love as well.