Turning My Back on Them

With each step I felt more uneasy looking at the massive object.
 

 

 

Once I reached the top, I could not continue looking at the Big Buddha. I turned my back on the idol taken aback and brought to silent reverence by what lay before me. A beautiful creation of mountains, lush greenery, and an endless sea of water. 

 

And I thought to myself this, this is what should be worshipped. The Creator of such a perfect landscape as this deserves my praise. 
 

 

 

No scaffolding covered the mountains. 

I can bet money that no one was pouring massive amounts of food coloring into the sea to give it a fairytale feel.

 

No. Our God got everything right on the first time. No maintenance required. 

 

So that's what I did. I turned up my headphones and sang to the Creator. I sang praises upon the one who made everything perfect. 
 

 

I raised my hands as I realized how silly worshipping this statue would be. It'd be like sitting in front of the Eiffel Tower and praising it for the peace it gives. It's preposterous! 

 

Yet so many times in America, we give praise to that which does not deserve any. 

 

We glorify celebrities and worship late night television shows. 

We are attempting to glorify our bodies by obsessing over when to fit in P90X and the latest nutritional diet. 

We spend exhaustive hours glued our books studying for a final that might make or break our lives. 

We spend countless dollars on alcohol to fill a void in our lives. 

We praise premarital sex and attempt to find it at any cost. 

We screw over anyone who stands in the way of our yearly salaries.

 

All to worship these idols.

 

Celebrities.

Body image. 

School. 

Alcohol. 

Sex. 

Money.

 

And the sad thing is these are all good things. All created to be a blessing, but somewhere Satan tells us they are worth worshipping instead of the Creator. 

 

And then we wonder why violence corrupts the nation? Why the sex trade is one of the world's largest grossing trade? Why teens are getting pregnant at fifteen? Why a divorce is more common than a 25th marriage anniversary?

 

I'll tell you why because Satan takes things meant for the Kingdom of Light and perverts them for the kingdom of darkness. 

And none of this is new. I've heard sermon upon sermon speaking of idolatry. But it never felt as real as it did standing before a 47 meter high statue made by the hands of man to be worshipped by the hearts of man.

 

But as for me I'll worship my Maker. I'll sing praises to him while looking foolish with my back turned to a 47 meter high idol. I'm turning my back on any idolatry.

 

  

"Of what value is an idol, since man has carved it?

   Or an image that teaches lies?

For he who makes it trusts in his own creation;

   he makes idols that cannot speak.

Woe to him who says to wood, 'come to life!'

   Or lifeless stone, 'Wake up!'

Can it give guidance? 

   It is covered with gold and silver;

   there is no breath in it.

But the LORD is in his holy temple;

   let all the earth be silent before him."

[Habakkuk 2:18-20]