"Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways." - Psalm 119:37
The 'worthless things' in my life are intangible. I worry too much about the decisions I make. I care about what other people think. I let my job and (the lack of) money stress me out and leave me discouraged. This short (and incomplete!) list actually means that I am putting these things before God. Although I do not literally get down on my knees and bow before these things and worship them, these in fact are idols. They are tests of my faith, or lack of faith, in God. While I'm thinking of it, another 'worthless thing' of mine is how hard I am on myself. I am a perfectionist in every area of my life so I can be my own worst emeny. The only time I need to be "perfect" (using quotations here because no one is perfect) is when these idols arise. In this blog entry, I would like to use the words perfect and faithful as synonyms. Bear with me for a minute. God knows I am not going to be perfect, but when it comes to idols that are taking His place in my life, my faith in God should overrule, outweigh, and overcome, thus being a new meaning of "perfect." Unwavering, unchanging, unending, and ever-present faith in God.
Looking back at verse 37, the word worthless is so powerful to me. Idols are just that: worthless. I am working to let mine go because anything that doesn't bring me closer to God is WORTHLESS.
The second part of the verse focuses on life, and a life in Christ AND a life of Christ in me is worth more than any idols.
