In less than 3 days I’ll be boarding a plane for Ecuador. Wow- time keeps ticking! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my last few days in Stevens Point and was blessed to spend the 4th with one of my best friends, Anne Hacker. I didn’t expect to be in the country to celebrate our Independence Day but loved sitting with my little cousins to “ooh” and “ahh” at the hometown firework display.
Mom and I have been staying busy too. We’ve gone kayaking, to a concert on the capital square and to American Players Theatre to see Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. As I write this, I’m sitting at Grandpa and Grandma Mueller’s farm. Though they are no longer with us, the Farm is still a family treasure where we enjoy spending time. I feel like I’m a kid on summer vacation!
Going back to my country girl roots at the Mueller Farm.
Even amidst this season of rest, I’ve attempted to challenge myself with some of my reading. Thus far, I’ve given you snippets of what I’ve learned from Catcher in the Rye and Through Gates of Splendor. The third book in this lovely little book club we have going is Tim Keller’s Counterfeit Gods.
Ooh, I know, you thought, that doesn’t sound like a fun read… It’s true; this was not the lighthearted book to read poolside while sipping your lemonade. I had my notebook and pen handy to jot my notes down. Talk about stuff to process… whew!
The main focus of the book is looking at idols that we all have in our life. Most of us hear the word idol and think of little golden statues. Keller defines an idol as “anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.”
Keller then goes on to distinguish between two different idols- deep idols and surface idols. Surface idols result in an attempt to fulfill the desire of deep idols.
Deep Idols: power, approval, comfort, control
Surface Idols: money, spouse, children, car, house, etc.
A surface idol, such as having a large paycheck, becomes an idol because it feeds the deep need for a comfortable life that one can control or the desire to meet people’s approval by the materials possessions one owns.
Another example is marriage. Most students I worked with on the college campus have the desire to get married. As I dug deeper into why they desired this, it was because society puts pressure on them to tie the knot by a “certain age” (approval). They desire the “American dream” to have jobs, own a home and have 2.5 children (control) and always want that special someone by their side (comfort).
(Side note. I think the desire to be married and raise a family is desire placed in many by God. It is a healthy and good desire. Keller’s point was that anything could become an idol, including marriage. When people’s motives are uncovered, they may just find an idol lurking.)
So, how do you identify idols in your life? Keller suggests looking at 4 things:
1. Imagination- what do you daydream about? Where does you mind naturally wander?
2. Moola- where is your heart’s true love? How do you spend your money? Does it reflect that of an eternal perspective?
3. Daily Salvation- do you live out in your daily life what you profess on Sunday morning? What are you living for?
4. Uncontrollable Emotions- do you have them? Fear? Anxiety? Anger? What causes them?
Keller concludes by saying the only way to get rid of idols in your life is to remove them AND replace them with God’s promises and blessings. He states, “idolatry is not just a failure to obey God, it is a setting of the whole heart on something besides God.”
Tough stuff. Lots to ponder. I recommend the book if you want to learn more abou this topic. I think the World Race will expose more idols in my life- pray for the removal and replacement process.
Well, on a lighter note, here’s a fun connection for you involving marriage (again, I love connections). Remember I said I was at the family farm typing this? Earlier today we found Grandma’s wedding dress from 1945. Guess what? It fit. Carl and Viola Mueller were married 60 years before they passed. Here’s to them!
Grandma Mueller's wedding dress from 1945.
