Travel day. Woke up. Packed. Loaded on a bus. And left the place I called home for the past 17 days.
As we drove through India I was overwhelmed as we passed factories full of idols. Tarps held up by sticks covered hundreds of the same idol, clearly manufacturer and distribution sites for these idols. Some where elaborately painted while others were awaiting such skills elicited through hours of intricate patience poured out by the artist. I couldn’t help but to pray for freedom and deliverance for all of Jesus’ children who are entrapped in the development and deception of these idols. I just wanted to tell the lady I saw sitting among hundreds of idols that Jesus loved her and that through Him there is life, actual life!! For “this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in His son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life ” (1 John 5:11-12). Jesus loves that women stuck in the middle of all the idols just as much as He love me or you.
It was crazy to SEE all those idols and to pass temple after temple and to see people sit and bow down to these powerless idols. However God reminded me that idols don’t always have to be visible. Although they are easily identified when visible. However similar to that lady we can sit and entertain idols even if they are not so obviously visible. I listened to a sermon by Make Wakefield once and he explained an idol to be:
any thought that is unworthy of who God is.
This would mean that any thought that we agree with about ourselves that doesn’t resemble Christ is an idol. So anytime we agree with the lie we are not good enough, ugly, incapable, dumb, worthless etc. we are entertaining a thought that is unworthy of who God is because God has called us His precious sons and daughters, masterfully sculpted in His image (Romans 8:15-17, Ephesians 2:10, and Genesis 1:27).
Whether it be for a second or years, anytime we place something over God we are giving it the power to be an idol in our lives.
It still blows my mind to see all these idols in the physical realm. However it makes me think of the United States and how we aren’t much different.
One thing I have been learning from traveling is how universally the same people across all cultures are. On the outside we may look drastically different but stripped down we are all a broken people who are in need of love and acceptance. Everyone has a story and everyone wants their story to be heard, we all want to be accepted and loved and comforted. And the only true sustaining answer to all of these are held in our Heavenly Abba Papa, Jesus.
It’s funny how simple God intended life to be abiding in Him yet how complicated we make it.
I don’t know about you but I want to focus on the simplicity of Him. Only Jesus.
Live loved,
Micaela
