Another move is upon us. After ten months in Alabama, Laura, Andy, and Lucy are returning to their roots… well Andy’s roots anyway; Laura, who claims Boston as home, would scoff at the insinuation. Regardless, there I found myself wrapping mug after mug, dish after dish, appliance after appliance in the red-themed kitchen Laura saved just for me. And as strange as it seems, she claims it’s the easiest room in the house to pack because it involves little to no thought; all you have to do is wrap and pack. Hmmm…
Lucy and Molly, the dog, helped pack, too.
After putting Lucy down for a nap, she joined me in the aforesaid easiest room and after what couldn’t have been more than five minutes, threw her arms up in exasperation proclaiming, “That’s IT. I am getting rid of everything! I am sick of having all this stuff and then having to pack and move it.” And capping off her small tirade, mental fist raised in resolve, declared, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
That was until I mentioned Magnolia Market, as I had just returned from a trip to Texas, fruit basket in hand, per her order.
Grinning sheepishly, she continued to pack.
We have the best of intentions don’t we? Truly wanting to love what matters in this life and purge what doesn’t. But ever so slowly (and sometimes quickly), the things we hold too dear and don’t let go of easily, become unbeknownst even to ourselves, what we all abhor and don’t want to think of as a possibility in our lives, an idol.
Don’t get me wrong. I loved what I purchased from Magnolia Market when Jerry and I were there this past summer, and I am not saying a bowl is an idol for Laura, or anyone else for that matter. Laura actually strives to live with only what she needs. But she will be the first to admit, the just enough in her life can grow almost without her knowing it into stored-up treasure.
It reminds me of the parable Jesus spoke of in Luke 12.
Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.”
Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’
“Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”
-Luke 12:13-21 (NLT)
Maybe belongings and comfort aren’t your idols. But something else very likely is. Whenever the Lord is not first in our lives, there is an idol. I struggle with wanting everything to be just so… trees trimmed, house sparkling, animals acting like perfect angels. Then my life will be right. (Stay tuned for another blog post on that topic.)
Even though having no other gods or idols is in the Ten Commandments, getting rid of them is no easy task. But here are four steps we can follow to start:
- Identify any idols.
Idols can be obvious, but they can also be extremely hidden. So go before the Lord first, and ask Him to identify what they are in your life.
- Repent of any idols and purge.
It’s not enough to simply recognize an idol. We must be truly sorry and ask God to change our hearts. And sometimes, we also need to run “headstrong” away—a conscious decision to not indulge—to completely cut them from our lives. (See Matthew 5:30.)
- Delight yourself in the Lord.
Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your hearts.” (ESV) That doesn’t mean you’ll get what you want right now if you focus on God. It does mean if you’re seeking the Lord and delighting in Him through thick and thin, your desires will start aligning with His. Your heart will start to change to value what He values. Our hearts truly come alive to who we are made to be when they delight in the Lord.
- Don’t get complacent.
Idols are sneaky. The moment you think you’re getting a handle on them, another one will show its ugly head. So don’t ever take pride in your ability to fight them. Jeremiah 17:9 (ESV) tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”
So then, only God can do the fighting and the changing. If we let Him.
Instead of letting our hearts get tied up in things of this world that don’t matter, let us love God (the first and greatest commandment) and then love others as we love ourselves. All else will follow. Having our eyes on the Lord and throwing away our storehouses for what He desires in us and for us is the just enough we are truly longing for. And it will be perfect.
Blessings,
Kimberly
[…] when, as strange as it seems, per my last blog, my idols are not in order. The trees are not trimmed, the house is NOT sparkling, and the dogs, […]