This is the second part of our discussion in idols of the heart. You can back up and go read or listen to part one on what idols are and how we create them. And today we are going to be discussing the more practical aspects of making idols in our hearts:
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How as a homemaker, as a wife, or as a mom am I placing idols in my life? Where am I focusing on and and what areas am I sinning in that displaces God from the ultimate spot in my heart and in my life? Today we are going to be discussing four main areas that idols creep up: in our homemaking, our marriage, our parenting, and our ministry.
"Idols aren't just stone statues. No, idols are the thoughts, desires, longings, and expectations that we worship in the place of the true God. Idols cause us to ignore the true God in search of what we think we need." – Idols of the Heart, page 23
An example from Mary & Martha
We are going to look at a familiar passage of the Bible to help illustrate this. The story of Mary and Martha. We enter the scene in Luke 10 and we see Jesus lovingly teaching inside Mary & Martha's home. Mary is sitting quietly as Jesus' feet, soaking in his words, being near her savior. Meanwhile, Martha is busy preparing their home for all these extra guests! She's running to and fro lighting fires, preparing meals, making beds, and more. She's busy practically serving the Lord...
But suddenly, she realizes she is alone in the kitchen kneading the dough...where did her sister Mary go who is supposed to be helping to get dinner on the table? Martha becomes angry and asks Jesus to tell her lazy sister to help her! Jesus instead says, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” - Luke 10:42
Ouch! How often have I been Martha? Running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to serve, get dinner on the table, read a book to my kids, spend quality time with my husband...and suddenly it all gets too much and I end up screaming at my kids to stop fighting?
I'm trying! I'm trying to serve Christ. I'm trying to serve my family. I'm trying to be that Proverbs 31 woman...and yet, I often end up placing an idol in my heart instead of what I should be doing. I'm focusing on all the active parts of getting the job done, so that my heart is no longer focused on Christ or serving Him out of a fierce love for God!
Here are several ways in which we can get so caught up in the details and activity of serving, that our hearts can be dislodged from focusing on what we really should be focusing on: God!
In our Homemaking
I want to focus on this one first because I think this has such a bearing on what we do every single day. Whether or not you work outside the home, whether or not you have kids, you have a house to manage. A home to run. Some sort of family of which you have some influence.
And it's really really easy to turn our homemaking into an idol. It's so easy to focusing on all the good things we want to learn and work on: from making our home more Gospel-Centered, to getting better at meal planning and tightening up our budget, to how to develop better routines and schedules, how to get the bathroom cleaner in less time, etc.
It's so easy to get wrapped up in the details of our house and managing our home because these are the small details we live in every single day. We focus on organizing our morning well and sending the kids outside so play so we can finally mop the kitchen. Then not even 30 minutes later, the kids troop through the kitchen in their muddy shoes and ruin all of our hard work,