Frogs – A devotional on what really matters
Another version of this image popped up on my social media. It had obviously been greatly enhanced, but I was intrigued enough to do some research. This is Frog Rock, located in New Boston, New Hampshire.
From one angle, it does indeed resemble a large frog. The frog was once a popular tourist destination. I’ve never been there, but if I ever get to New Boston, I’ll be sure to check it out.
It’s a 10-foot-tall glacial erratic (a boulder left behind in a random place by melting glaciers). Glacial erratics can be found in many places; a well-known one is the Big Rock found on the outskirts of Okotoks, Alberta. They can be huge. One source speaks of massive erratics, “one large glacial erratic in Germany measures 3 by 6 km (2 by 4 mi) and is 9 m (30 ft) thick. Near Cooking Lake, Alberta, one of several large glacial erratics, which is called the Cooking Lake (Number 6) megablock, covers an area of at least 10 km2 (4 sq. mi), has a length of 4.0 km (2.5 mi), and is about 10 m (33 ft) thick.
As I thought about how well the random stone in New Hampshire mimics a stone, I was reminded that not everything is as it appears, and not every promise is true. The rock is called a big frog and looks like one, but it is not and will never be a real frog.
Mirages in the desert or on the highway promise water that isn’t there. Politicians make promises that, even if they genuinely hoped to deliver, will never be fulfilled. Friends, family, and even church members can let us down. All the trinkets and whiz-bang-gizmos we long for and buy never deliver the fulfillment we crave.
The book of Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon, who regaled us with tales of how he had everything a person could ever want. Each task, triumph, and possession promised fulfillment, but none of them delivered.
Ecclesiastes is a short book, an easy read, and often overlooked by many Christians. It’s probably best known for a repeated line, “Meaningless, everything is meaningless” (or “Vanity, everything is vanity”, in some translations). Yet, even that claim is untrue in a sense. Solomon recognizes at the end that there is something that has meaning, a purpose for our lives.
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Ecclesiastes 12:13 ESv
No matter what your circumstances tell you, or the lies you have believed, you have value and purpose.
You were created in the very image of God (image dei) and are loved enough that Jesus died for you while you were still a sinner. He is preparing a home for you in heaven.
While we wait, we grow to be like Jesus and serve the Lord. It’s a noble quest that will deliver exactly as promised.
Kevin