Anything Idol

If you know anything about the ten commandments, you know that the first two commandments given to Moses in the old testament are relatively similar: "You shall have no other gods before me," and "You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them." (Exodus 20: 3-5a)

These two commands seem the most cumbersome because they aren't as cut and dry as "do not steal" and "do not murder" (Although we know that Jesus sort of through a wrench in our understanding of those too). It's not quite as easy as avoiding the creation of a golden calf or wood carving; I did not realize as a young girl seeking to follow my Creator, whom I'd come to love, that these two commands would be the hardest to keep throughout my life.

I have always struggled not to create idols out of other people. I truly believe this is my biggest and most reoccurring sin. It began with my parents (as it does with almost all children). I worshiped, adored, or sought to please them with everything in me. We as parents even use our authority and this natural instinct to ensure obedience in our own children. It's an unfortunate cycle of misplaced discipline. After recognizing my parents humanity, I began to transfer this idolization to friends and boyfriends. Even with the revelation of wrongly worshiping my husband prior to marriage, I have found that I still have the propensity to place people on pedestals and look to them to give me all the advice necessary to live on this Earth. Whether it's a reality television family or someone who has already gone to Heaven, we as flawed humans find comfort in following those that lead lives we hope to emulate. However, if you haven't discovered it yet, you'll soon find that every single person will fall short of your expectations. No one can live up to such a standard, but I believe that is exactly why God decided to become a human being. It's easier for us to idolize something we can see, so He chose to become one of us, that way we'd have the perfect person to idolize. Even those that claim to be His followers will fall. It is not up to us to live perfectly, but it is up to us to seek to live like the only perfect one- Jesus.

I must remind myself of this truth daily. With a good cup of coffee and moments to digest, I see purpose in everything and everyone. I don't think this would be possible without my God.