Tag: desires

The Idols in Our Lives

Do you allow anything other than God to pull at your heart, steer your path, or influence your actions? Are there certain people, dreams, or circumstances that distract you from God and His mission? Whether we realize it or not, idols can invade our lives in very subtle ways, promising to fulfill us and then eventually leaving us unsatisfied and discontent.

To be honest, when I was a newer Christian, and we discussed the Ten Commandments in Bible class or had a devotional about the idols in our lives, I kind of dismissed the topic, convinced I didn’t have any idols in my life. I would say to myself, “Of course, the Lord is the one true God and my only love. I would never put any other before Him. I would never worship another god.” I had the misconception that idols would be obvious in my life, such as a specific addiction, very apparent worship of something (other than God), or over-the-top obsession. I falsely believed that having an idol in your life was a conscious decision to put something else above God. How wrong I was!

Idols can be very sneaky. Without you knowing, they can pry their way into your heart very subtly, masquerading as something Godly. They can even begin as good intentions or God-inspired ideals and then become twisted and warped by our own fleshly nature.

1 John 5:21 says, “Dear Children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.” Wow! When you put it that way, I’m immediately convicted. Maybe I do have idols in my life, after all. What is it that has taken over God’s rightful place in my heart?

Is it my need for perfection? Do I put so much effort into being a “good” Christian that I let that guide my heart more than God? Some people fill their day with a list of To-Do items, desperately trying to satisfy an image they have in their head of what success means, even Godly success. Cooking perfect meals, planning engaging lessons, preparing awe-inspiring sermons or blog posts, creating beautifully wrapped care-packages for a neighbor–all these things are good and worthy causes. But are they your purpose or mission? Of course not; the purpose of these things is to minister to or bless others and share Christ through that ministry. If we lose sight of that and focus our thoughts on the product or result instead of the purpose, or if we spend so much time DOING this work that we don’t spend time ABIDING in Christ, then we have made those things our idols.

Is my idol my desire for validation and approval? Do I let other people’s opinions of me overshadow what God says is true? Do I allow others’ words to carry more weight in my heart than God’s Word? Maybe I am doing certain tasks just to get noticed instead of in obedience to God. I might avoid being bold about sharing my faith or go along with the crowd when I should be the voice of Jesus in a situation. Or I could simply allow my mind to be filled with others’ thoughts and ideas instead of with the Lord’s Truth. (I wrote a post a while back about false joy and how easily my world can crumble when I hear a harsh word from a friend or family, even if I fully disagree with what they have said and know they have an inaccurate perception of me.) Our need for acceptance can easily become an idol, causing us to dismiss the Spirit’s voice in our lives.

Could my idols be my children and my husband? Have I made my life so much about them that God has been pushed aside and is given only a small pittance of my time and energy? Maybe we give so much of ourselves to our families that we forget to give ourselves to the Lord. Yes, we all have responsibilities to serve our children and spouses. We have jobs and housework and mission work that we cannot just overlook. But caring for our homes, our families, and our friends should be a response to our relationship with Christ, not a substitute. We cannot look to our husbands and children to fill our needs. We should not care so much about pleasing them that we neglect other aspects of God’s calling in our lives. We must not put spending time with them above spending time with the Lord.

When I reflect on my life, I can see how these kinds of idols have crept into my mind and relationships during different seasons. There are moments I do a good job of pushing them out of my life almost completely. But if I am not careful, they will creep back in ever so slyly.

These idols in our lives, these things that try to replace God in our hearts–they find their way into our hearts because of our longings, our desires, our desperations for things that will fill the holes in our lives. But idols are FALSE gods. They aren’t the real thing, so they will never satisfy us, and they will never fully quench our thirst. Only God can do that. In fact, that’s a good way to discern an idol in your life–something you seek after and yet never satisfies your longing.

My house will never be clean enough. My kids will never be obedient enough. My marriage will never be fulfilling enough. My writing will never be good enough. My friendships will never be deep enough…

There is not ENOUGH in this world because God designed us for eternal desire. No other idol in our life will ever fill us, satisfy us, or complete us. There will only be one thing that is enough for us–our sweet Lord.

“For He satisfies the longing soul.” (Psalm 107:9)

May you spend your days seeking after the only one who will satisfy all the longings of your soul!

What Are Your Dreams?

Sometimes God doesn’t fulfill our dreams, but He always give us what we need.

When you were young, did you ever play MASH with your friends? It’s a creative exercise where you write down possibilities for the type of house you will live in, the car you will drive, the person you will marry, the job you will do, the number of children you will have, or other aspects of your future. You write down your dreams but also some options that would be the opposite of your desire. There are a variety of ways to play, but ultimately you end up circling one option in each category and this supposedly foretells your future. Of course, during the process, you are crossing your fingers that you won’t get certain unfortunate options, like the shack and the station wagon.

One of the fun aspects of this game is that each person’s unique personality impacts what is written on the paper and represents a “win” in this game. For some, a cozy cottage in England would be just perfect, while others desperately want a mansion in LA. When I played, I always wanted the mansion and a convertible sports car. I remember daydreaming with my sisters about where we would want to live when we were older. Some wanted a country farm, away from the hustle and bustle of the city–quiet, charming, simple. Not me. I wanted a castle house. You know, those houses that have all the intricate rooflines, made of brick and stone, that you drive by and think, “Wow, that looks like a castle!” That’s what I wanted. I absolutely did NOT want to live in the country, be on a farm, or be away from the city. I desired to be right in the middle of it all and have all the glitz and glamour of city life. My parents jokingly remarked one time that I better make sure I marry for money if I’m going to have all I was dreaming of.

So flash forward about 30 years, and where am I now? I live in a single wide mobile home on 2.5 acres of land in the country. We have chickens in our backyard, I drive a minivan, and I can assure you my life has no glitz or glamour. We live a modest, simple life…and I love it!

What happened to my dreams? How did I go from having a real aversion to living in the country to having such delight in my country home? My only explanation is that God understands our dreams better than we do ourselves, and He has given me the dream He knew I needed. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Some may translate this as, “Believe in the Lord, and He will give you what you want (assuming it’s within His will).” But when I read this verse, I hear it as, “Trust in the Lord and commit yourself to following His will, and God will change your heart so you desire what He wants you to have.” Honestly, I’m not a Biblical scholar, so I’m not sure what the original meaning of those words is. But my interpretation of the verse is what God has shown to be true in my life so many times. If I will fully embrace God, trust Him, and submit my will to Him, then He will transform my life and my dreams to match His.

I never specifically decided I didn’t want to live in the city. I did not weigh the pros and cons and make a choice that country life was what I needed. God simply spent years transforming my heart, changing my desires, and drawing me close to Him. Through so many varied experiences and the power of the Spirit, God lovingly put in my heart the desires I now have.

So I don’t look back at lost dreams as a regret. My childish dreams may have satisfied me for a moment, but I am thankful God did not give me what I asked for. He knew the joy I would feel looking out at the trees and listening to the birds’ beautiful song. He understood how much I would appreciate the space for our children to run and play outside. And He recognized the benefit I would gain from living a simple, modest life, rather than feeling the pressure that sometimes comes with the “glitz and glamour.” Instead of feeling regret, I smile and cherish the tender way God has given me beyond what I dreamed, better than what I imagined, and more than I expected. 

God is the ultimate dream maker. What unexpected dreams has he inspired in you?