Molly. Felicity. Josefina. Kirsten. Kit. Addy.
American Girl® Dolls.
These were the names of some of the first American Girl dolls that I remember. Our daughter, Morgan, loved her Molly doll. She took her everywhere. She slept with her, watched TV with her and made us keep her on the other end of the couch so she wouldn’t catch the flu.
My mom made matching clothes for Morgan and Molly from pajamas to miniature bride dresses. Molly got to go to church with Morgan, ride in a limousine at Kimberly’s wedding with her and get her hair done at the American Girl doll store.
Morgan sure got her money’s worth out of Molly (who still stands proudly in her original attire on the dresser).
But Molly wasn’t my first attempt to get Morgan an American Girl doll. You see, I tried to disguise the first doll with a generic. The dolls were expensive and I thought I could suffice with the generic version of Molly.
Morgan tried to pretend it didn’t matter. She took the doll to a birthday party with friends who toted their Originals. But I found out later that the fake doll wasn’t the desire of Morgan’s heart. Her 8-year-old self was trying to make mommy feel like it was okay but her little heart was sad that she didn’t have the real version of the American Girl doll.
So I saved some extra money and when she came home from school one day, Molly greeted her on her bed. And so began the journey of joy with Molly, the real American Girl Doll.
How many times through life do we choose the generic thing that we think will make us happy? We search for peace in perfection, careers, people and things. We try to manufacture love with addictions, shopping and fake relationships.
The only way to find true happiness, peace and joy is with Jesus. He tells us in John 14:6 that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to God, the Father without first knowing Jesus.
Believing in God is not enough. Morgan believed in the American Girl doll. But until she got the real one, she wasn’t truly satisfied. Until we have a relationship with Jesus, we can’t know the real God. Jesus is the Way to the real God. Jesus is the way to authentic satisfaction. Jesus is the way to real peace.
Satisfaction with the Savior isn’t found in generics like shopping, addictions and fake relationships but rather in the authentic Jesus.
Cast off the fake imposters of joy and run to the authentic. He’s the original, standing in His glory, just waiting with open arms.
