"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.
Ashlynne,
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with this 100%. I have many of the same exact issues, and for me, I rekindled my faith about two months ago on a service trip I went on. I met a special person named Ray who allowed me to work out my ideas that have been altered during my college years. I now realize that every hurdle in my life has been there for a reason by the Lord. He put these negative times so I can learn from them and grow as a person. Ashlynne, I am really glad we have ran into each other, and you can contact me anytime at djbenson21@gmail.com (or 8473800705) if you just want to talk about any problems or hurdles that you hit as well going forward. I will see you on twitter haha.
Here is the song that really moved me on my service trip. The words are amazing and so is the beat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p14XnkLJfUE
This poem moves mountains for me too.
http://www.emergence-international.org/2011/07/footprints-in-the-sand/
Sincerely,
Danny
Hi Danny! Thanks so much for the encouraging words (and the Twitter follow, haha). It is always helpful to receive support from other Christians! It's great to connect with you as well. And I'll extend the same - feel free to reach out anytime! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! Are you a student down here in Blono?
ReplyDelete