At my church, The Journey, our pastor talks about idols a lot. An idol is "...something or someone besides Jesus Christ [that has] taken title to your heart’s functional trust, preoccupation, loyalty, service, fear and delight” (Darrin Patrick). The four main source idols are comfort, power, approval and control. The concept is definitely Biblical, but I think my pastor kind of came up with the four names for them. I think he's writing a book or something...but anyway, we talk about them in our church a lot. So much so that it's just the language of Journey-people and we forget sometimes that not everyone knows what we're talking about.
I think at first glance or thought, most people, or at least Christians, would deny that they have any idols, but really, think of why you do anything you do...why do you care so much about what you look like? Probably to impress other people (approval idol)...why do you get so mad when someone cuts you off while driving? Because it takes control away from you (control idol)...why do you enjoy your belongings so much or why is it so hard to give material things up? Probably because they make you feel good (comfort idol)...you get my drift. That's really simplifying it, but sometimes it really is that simple. What are you trusting in, preoccupied with, loyal to, in service of, afraid of or delighted in more than Jesus? We all have something. For me it's definitely comfort and approval. And that brings me to my point.
I think that I've realized that one of the reasons I have a hard time keeping up with this blog goes back to my approval idol. There are so many people who have blogs, and who have beautiful, creative, imaginative blogs with eloquent witty things to post daily, and I don't feel like I can match up to them. Almost every time I write a post I'm concerned with sounding clever or like I've got it all figured out, or like my life is perfect...because that's the perception you get from a lot of people's blogs. That their life is this perfect, always stylish, always positive, always figured out life, and well...mine is not that. I know that I do have an approval idol, and maybe that's part of my lack of posting.
But I also have a comfort idol, so maybe it's just because I'm lazy? Cause I definitely can be.
Anyway, here's a cute pic of Rhys that I took the other day
Doesn't he look like such a big boy with his hair short? I'm sorta regretting cutting it...
I think that I've realized that one of the reasons I have a hard time keeping up with this blog goes back to my approval idol. There are so many people who have blogs, and who have beautiful, creative, imaginative blogs with eloquent witty things to post daily, and I don't feel like I can match up to them. Almost every time I write a post I'm concerned with sounding clever or like I've got it all figured out, or like my life is perfect...because that's the perception you get from a lot of people's blogs. That their life is this perfect, always stylish, always positive, always figured out life, and well...mine is not that. I know that I do have an approval idol, and maybe that's part of my lack of posting.
But I also have a comfort idol, so maybe it's just because I'm lazy? Cause I definitely can be.
Anyway, here's a cute pic of Rhys that I took the other day
Doesn't he look like such a big boy with his hair short? I'm sorta regretting cutting it...
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