Conversations with a Mannequin
She startles me every time. The store has positioned this mannequin just perfectly at the end of one of their clothes racks in such a way that, from the corner of my eye, she looks like a real customer, a real person. I guess I don't go to the store enough to remember she is standing there. So every time I see her, I have to take a second look before it registers in my brain that she is not real. I may have even said, "excuse me" once when I almost bumped into it. I'm sure anyone that heard me got a good laugh at that one! A sane person does not speak to mannequins like they are real... Well, other than that guy who not only spoke to but fell in love with one from that famous 80's movie, "Mannequin". (Love that movie!)
A conversation with a mannequin would probably be much like playing with a Barbie doll or puppet - both of which I have experience with. I know very well how to have a conversation with something that is not real. You have to pretend they are listening, pretend they are understanding you, and pretend they are responding. You would, of course, need to put words in their mouth and answer for them, as well. It’s a whole lot of fun, but at the end of the day, there’s obviously no real relationship happening because you know they’re not real.
My days with Barbies and puppets have passed, but I’ve had times in my walk with God that my conversations and relationship with Him has felt a little similar. Probably without fully realizing it, I would talk to Him like He was some kind of lifeless, blind, mute, man-made object like a mannequin or Barbie. I would fail to acknowledge Him for who He is: REAL. A real, Living God, who sees all, hears all, and knows all. And if I wasn’t careful, I might have even put words in His mouth, so I could ‘hear’ what I wanted Him to say.
But I love how kind God is and how determined He is to fully convince us of Kingdom Reality. His desire is for all of us to talk to Him and relate to Him based on who He really is - Real and Good. Hebrews 11 says this exactly:
It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.
Hebrews 11:6 MSG
http://bible.com/97/heb.11.6.msg
And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
Hebrews 11:6 NLT
http://bible.com/116/heb.11.6.nlt
He wants us to know in our hearts that when we come to Him, we are not talking to an inanimate object. He can hear us. He can see us. He knows us. AND He wants us to believe that He is GOOD - that He “cares enough to respond”. So He’s not just alive, but He also cares and is compassionate toward us. He sees the troubles we’re in and yes, He gives a darn. He cares and He will respond - very possibly not in a way we would expect or the timing we would prefer, but He will respond. After all, He’s no mannequin. He’s our Good Father.
A conversation with a mannequin would probably be much like playing with a Barbie doll or puppet - both of which I have experience with. I know very well how to have a conversation with something that is not real. You have to pretend they are listening, pretend they are understanding you, and pretend they are responding. You would, of course, need to put words in their mouth and answer for them, as well. It’s a whole lot of fun, but at the end of the day, there’s obviously no real relationship happening because you know they’re not real.
My days with Barbies and puppets have passed, but I’ve had times in my walk with God that my conversations and relationship with Him has felt a little similar. Probably without fully realizing it, I would talk to Him like He was some kind of lifeless, blind, mute, man-made object like a mannequin or Barbie. I would fail to acknowledge Him for who He is: REAL. A real, Living God, who sees all, hears all, and knows all. And if I wasn’t careful, I might have even put words in His mouth, so I could ‘hear’ what I wanted Him to say.
But I love how kind God is and how determined He is to fully convince us of Kingdom Reality. His desire is for all of us to talk to Him and relate to Him based on who He really is - Real and Good. Hebrews 11 says this exactly:
It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.
Hebrews 11:6 MSG
http://bible.com/97/heb.11.6.msg
And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
Hebrews 11:6 NLT
http://bible.com/116/heb.11.6.nlt
He wants us to know in our hearts that when we come to Him, we are not talking to an inanimate object. He can hear us. He can see us. He knows us. AND He wants us to believe that He is GOOD - that He “cares enough to respond”. So He’s not just alive, but He also cares and is compassionate toward us. He sees the troubles we’re in and yes, He gives a darn. He cares and He will respond - very possibly not in a way we would expect or the timing we would prefer, but He will respond. After all, He’s no mannequin. He’s our Good Father.
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