Who Is Your Idol?

We all have an idol. The only question is...

who is yours?

Don't be too quick to answer. Pause for a moment and think about it. Think about what an idol is and what it looks like to worship one.

According to Merriam-Webster, an idol is "an object of extreme devotion".  My Webster dictionary defines devotion as "attachment manifested by constant attention." 

So I think it is safe to say that our idol is whatever or whomever we are giving constant attention to. 

Would you agree?

So let me rephrase my question...

Who or what is getting most of your attention?

Who or what do you spend most of your time on?

Who or what do you spend most of your time thinking about?

What is the reason you do the things you do?

Be completely honest with yourself. Go back and reread those questions and be brutally honest in your answers. If you can't answer honestly, ask God to reveal the answer to you.

There are so many things that can become an idol before we even realize it and those things may not even be bad things, but when they become idols, they are.

Let's look at some examples you probably already thought of:

TV shows (do you have to set the DVR and not miss an episode?) 

Sports (that one is obviously an idol to many)

Alcohol (do you have to have it everyday?)

Your children (you might have good intentions, but they can become an idol also)

Your home (do you obsess over cleanliness?)

Health or exercise (that can get pretty extreme can't it)

Those are common things people think of when they think of idols, and I'm sure you could add to the list! However, I want to look at two things that we don't always think of:

1. Food - food most definitely can become an idol. The thing is unhealthy food OR healthy food can become an idol. We can easily become obsessed with food, thinking about what our next meal or snack will be to overindulging in whatever it is we are eating at the time. There are many ways food can become an idol. 

2. Self - we can become our own idol. We can put our desires and wants above other's and God's desires. We can spend our time on the things that are important to us, instead of God and others. To me, this idol is the hardest one to recognize, especially when the world is constantly pushing the "you deserve this", "do it for yourself" mantra. Those are so contrary to scripture. 

I'll be honest with you, I struggle with these last two often and usually, they are intertwined. I'll explain.

I love following the Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle (healthy eating), but my family does not at all! I can safely say that most of the THM food I fix, my family does not like. Oh there are a few dishes that they really enjoy, there are a few they will tolerate, but most of them they do not love.

 I get so caught up in wanting to eat healthy, that I neglect the desires of my family. I can spend a large amount of time preparing my own foods, logging my own foods and keeping up with all the latest THM related things that I neglect other areas of my life. I get so focused on fixing healthy foods for myself, that I neglect to fix their favorites meals, snacks and desserts. That is selfish! It's making an idol of my food and myself. It's putting my wants above theirs and that is not what God tells me to do. In fact, it goes against God's word.

Philippians 2:4 says "Abandon every display of selfishness. Possess a greater concern for what matters to others instead of your own interests." (The Passion Translation)

I know there are many women that can balance fixing themselves healthy food while not neglecting the desires of their family, great for them! I'm happy for them, really I am. But I struggle with it. I'm not going to fix 2 different meals every time I cook, I'm just not. So, I must learn balance and I MUST remember that food is not to be an idol. I'm not to put anything or anyone above what God has called me to do.

I'm sure many of you have different idols and different areas you struggle in. We are all different! However, we are also similar, so I am certain that at certain times, you do struggle with idols.

So my prayer is that you would recognize your idol and do what you need to to take care of it. Ask God to reveal any idols to you and be open to what he shows you. Then ask him to help you tear it down. 

I would love to hear about any idols you struggle with. Remember, we aren't alone and sharing your struggle may just encourage someone else.