Seated in a yoga class, we are encouraged to enter not only into exercises for physical growth but also for spiritual. And my vision for yoga is that, in the midst of creating a peaceful, tranquil mind, we also fill it with the truth of Christ. The desire of my heart is to have no other gods other than the God of Jesus Christ. Yet as I have grown, I find it harder and harder to rid my life of idolatry.
I have been thinking a lot lately about the idols in my life.
An idol is something or someone you do not entrust to God. You view their importance and significance in your life above your relationship with God. If the idol were removed from your life, your faith would be threatened or even destroyed.
And I have to admit, the more I neglect my time with God, and spend it with other things, the easier it is to find myself in this situation. For example, I am so very blessed to have such a great marriage. My husband is the perfect match for me and we enjoy each other’s company so well. The miracle of marriage and love that grows from it is an amazing gift from God. But even gifts from God can outshine God Himself in our lives. I have to be careful not to make my relationship with my husband replace my relationship with Christ.
When Seth was stranded in Washington by himself, it came after a conversation I had had with God. I wanted God to be my only God.
And the fear and anxiety I battled over the potential in losing my husband, forced me to pray with faith, trusting God even with my husband.
Children are another example of gifts from God that can threaten to replace their creator Himself. I personally do not have children but parents have told me of this temptation before.
Taking the spiritual aspect of yoga captive for Christ is an important step toward guarding against other idols coming into our lives, but you will be amazed by how easily life yields other temptations.
What idols are you battling? It could be work, money, shopping, or food. What helps you to put these idols in perspective, making sure your relationship with Christ is first and most important?
It seems like we have to keep reminding ourselves to put God first,and we have to keep going back to reading in the Bible how much God loves us and the suffering Jesus went through for us. Otherwise we keep listening to all the voices of the world. Or maybe it is easier to love something that we can see, and feel and taste. Even though I have a close relationship with the Lord, and I appreciate all that He does for me, and all His wonderful works, I still struggle with this. I think food is one of my gods.
As someone who has struggled with various obsessions–aka idols–throughout his life, I know all about idolatry. It wasn’t until, as part of my daily Bible reading, I read in Isaiah and Jeremiah about what God did to those who worshipped idols that I realized I needed to change. It was obvious I had a bad case of idolatry when I was asked by a high school friend a year after graduating, “You still worship that one actress?”
Still, I feel that my struggle is no more over than anyone else’s. Though I may no longer be “obsessed” with Victoria Justice, I still feel that entertainment sometimes makes more important things–not only God, but my friends and family as well–take a back seat. I’ll probably always have entertainment, but I won’t always have my parents or my fellow church members; I need to look out for them while they are still around.
Good point! We can easily idolize entertainment stars or just television in general. When we spend more time with our favorite shows than with God, they are working on the wrong relationships. Thanks for sharing!