Have you ever read the old testament accounts of the many times the children of Israel turned away from the One True God and started worshiping idols and false gods instead?

If you’re like me, this is so hard to understand after just reading the multitude of miraculous ways God has shown his provision for them. It’s pretty easy to think, “Wow, so glad I am not as short sighted as they were…” Until we remember that their story is a physical version of our spiritual lives.

I don’t know any christians who worship idols made of stone, wood or precious metals, and I have never met anyone who worshiped by sacrificing their childrens’ physical lives (Thankfully!). However, I have found myself guilty of worshiping idols that I create in my own life by prioritizing my time to those things. I also believe people figuratively sacrifice their children by the environments they put them in and the things they allow them to watch and listen to, but that’s a discussion for another day.

My Idols

The things in my life that I struggle with idolizing by giving a large part of my time to include, but are not limited to, perfection, production and comfort.

Comfort is something we all want, right? We like comfy clothes, comfy shoes, comfy chairs, comfy blankets. We even have our comfort foods! Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think there is anything wrong with enjoying a bowl of mac-n-cheese while sitting braless in your favorite sweatshirt and yoga pants in your treasured corner of your worn but oh-so-comfortable sofa. BUT, when we make being comfortable a priority that we are willing to sacrifice our spiritual growth for, we have made it an idol.

Another way I idolize comfort is by not wanting to get out of my “comfort zone”. Recently I have been inspired by several great examples of people doing hard things that were certainly not in their comfort zones.

Melannie

My first example is my mother-in-law. She recently went through a very hard and stressful move all while helping to care for her dad who’s health was failing. Watching her prioritize her parents over her own “comfort” by giving them all the time they needed and sacrificing her time to organize her move the way she wanted to. She truly showed how to honor your parents as an adult. Her dad passed away not long after she got moved into her new place and she handled all the emotions and hardships that losing a parent brings with so much grace! I know it wasn’t easy for her, but she leaned on the Lord and family to get through a really tough time. I’m so thankful for her example! 

Cole

My sons, Orren and Cole, both participated in 4-H this past year and showed animals in the county fair. My youngest son, Cole, is a little shy and really struggles with getting up in front of people. He also struggles with doing anything that he doesn’t think he will be perfect at (Yup! He’s definitely my son!). He has cried over one wrong letter in one word on a spelling test before. If he doesn’t think he will do well, he won’t even try. However, this year at the fair, he decided he would try showmanship with his goat. He had never done it. He had never even seen anyone do it, but he still got out there in the ring, in front of many, many people and he tried! He didn’t win any ribbons in showmanship but my heart couldn’t contain one more ounce of pride in my boy! He did something VERY hard for himself. He did a hard thing.

Orren

In contrast, my son Orren is extremely outgoing and willing to try just about anything. He puts his whole heart into his projects. Orren wanted to show a steer for his first year in 4-H. For any of you 4-Hers out there, you know that showing steers is hard. Especially with no experience in any animal showmanship. To top it off, the time he was supposed to be working with his steer, his daddy was dealing with serious health issues and I had a handful of surgeries that made it hard for either of us to help him. He watched YouTube videos and asked a lot of questions of people he knew had shown steers. He was out there almost every day working with Chester (his steer). Orren basically did everything on his own. After working super hard, Chester did not make weight at the fair which disqualified him from being sold at the big sale. Orren was very bummed but I watched my ten year old son take that disappointment and put it away. He still had to be at the fair all week and he still needed to show his steer in his weight class as well as showmanship.

Orren had never done showmanship at all but he had worked hard with his 900lb steer and went on to win fourth place overall in showmanship! That is a very impressive feat! He also won second place in his weight class. Another job well done.

As happy as I was that he had won a couple ribbons, I was more impressed that he had not let that disappointment overwhelm him. He had kept his head up and walked through the ring with confidence. Orren went on to secure a buyer for Chester and made a handsome profit. God is so good!

The lessons my boys learned while walking through their own individualized hard things are absolutely priceless!

God’s Call

God doesn’t call us to be comfortable. He calls us to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily and follow him. Where is he asking you to go? What is he asking you to do? Seek his will in all things. You will find your greatest fulfillment in serving his purpose for you.

Know what’s really cool? By denying ourselves comfort and seeking wholeheartedly after Jesus, we will find our greatest comfort of all. Peace.

“And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7

Be ready, and willing, to say, “Anything. Anywhere, Anytime.” to the one who made you and knows what’s best.

Meet Mollie

Mollie is a lover of Jesus above all. She loves her husband and family and enjoys gardening, teaching, piano, riding, and farming. She lives in SW Colorado with her husband and five kids.