Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. 1 John 5:21 NIV
All I could hear was loud screeching with the smell of burnt rubber as I pushed the vacuum one more time. Not again, I told myself. Vacuum cleaners are the scourge of my life. They disappoint and cause trouble, but I can’t live without them. Laboring through every screw to take the panel off the bottom, I found the roller buried in a tangled mess of string and hair. One by one I tugged on the strings with a pair of scissors in hand cutting them loose. If only I could remember to periodically clean the roller to avoid a non-functioning vacuum.
Similarly, our life can get tangled up with strings that keep us from functioning in our full potential with God. We may be spending too much time on phone apps, tv binging, obsessively shopping for the latest home décor or getting in the trap of the business of putting our kids in every activity possible. Without knowing it we have grabbed onto stuff that not only bogs us down, but can take our attention away and lessen our devotion to God. When we allow other things in our lives to take residence, they will eventually hinder our ability to be the mom and wife God intended. These “strings" can be referred to as idols, which are defined as anything that is more important or is absorbed by our hearts and imaginations more than God. We could even have good things going on like ministry, PTA, homeschooling, career or working out, but the question to ask ourselves is, “If these things were taken away, would our identity be lost?”
There are many mentions in the Bible about idols including, 1 John 5:21 that says, “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” God knows that when we have idols, we are finding meaning in imperfect people, fleeting possessions or fickle positions. He loves us way too much to allow those tangled strings to become tethered to our souls and lead us to emptiness and brokenness. Our hearts are like a vacuum sized hole, always wanting more, but innately designed for more of Him. We will never be completely satisfied if we fill it with anything other than the only One who fully satisfies. Think of it this way. When we are dying of thirst, what’s going to really quench it: Diet Dr. Pepper or H2O? Sure the Diet Dr. Pepper will wet our throats, but long term, only the water will sustain us.
God wants us to be attached to His perfect will (His Word, living water) giving our attention to Him so He can infuse us with His power. And when we are empowered, we can run at full speed to glorify Him and serve others well. God wants nothing more than to bless us and will not allow other things to take His rightful place in our hearts. Here are some things we can do to get us tangled free. Ask God to reveal areas in our lives that are being consumed by anything other than Him. Is there anything that we are relying on more than God? Who/what has the most influence in our lives? Is there a lie that we are believing to justify an idol? Once we are aware of the idol(s), we can declare Jesus' name over them and break the stronghold. Remember, anything that diminishes our devotion to God will lead us down a path of destruction. We are too precious in His sight to have anything less than His abundant living.
Your Fellow Able Mom,
Jayme Gradwell
Thank you God for revealing to me anything that is getting in the way of my devotion to you and living in your fullness. I thank you that You satisfy my every need to live to my full potential. In Jesus name, Amen.
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