Who Are You?
I came across a video on Instagram recently that presented a question and it took me back for a second. The question was this - "If God takes it tomorrow, are you okay?" I think I audibly said "DANG" out loud as I was watching this video. That question is pretty steep. But think about it, would you be okay if God took it tomorrow? Whatever "it" is for you. It could be your dream job that you currently have, the house you live in, your income, wifi, your phone, any relationship in your life, your closet full of clothes or the ability to vote. It could be anything.
If anything on that list stirred something up for you, maybe it's time to sit with the Lord and reflect on those things. The video continues with this - "If not, you found identity in it. And if you found identity in it, it has become your idol."
The bible warns us about idols. In Exodus 20:3 it reads, "You shall have no other gods before me." Putting our identity in things of this world is a dangerous path, and I think we are all guilty of this at some point. I know I am. If God takes your job from you and you lose that title, will you be okay knowing that you are still a child of God and that is the most important title we could ever receive? If you lose your income, will you be faithful to God knowing that He will provide for you? If your ideal political candidate loses, do you still believe that God is in control? Will you bring your worries at His feet and invite Him into the sorrow? He should be the first person we run to when something goes wrong, not social media. He is right there feeling every pain we feel. Even Jesus felt abandoned by God. We can see that in Matthew 27:46 when Jesus is on the cross He cries out to God and says, "My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?" We can expect to have moments where we feel God has left us. But the beautiful thing is, He never does leave us. There is no place for shame, He sees past everything and looks right into your heart. He is the God of everything, we should be placing out identity in Him alone.
Hebrews 13:5 says, "Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'" Money is such an idol in the world today. More specifically, American culture. When returning to the states abruptly last March during The World Race due to COVID, I was angry. I was angry at Americans for being so caught up in making money their identity and worshipping something that fails us everyday. We put other humans on a pedestal for how much money they make. Their income determines how we should respect them or treat them. Does this not seem so messed up?! We should be loving everyone with the heart of Jesus, no matter how much they make or what their title is. As Christians, we should be striving to live like Jesus everyday. It's a process and none of us will do it perfectly. It's okay to trip and fall, the Lord is the one that catches you; not your own works.
These are just a couple of examples of how it is dangerous to idolize anything but Jesus. I would love to hear from you, what are you struggling to release to the Lord? For me, it's the fear of man. I have this whisper in the back of my mind that puts a little fear in me. I often worry about what others think of me, but I have come a long way thanks to God's grace! It's a work in progress as always.
Thank you to everyone that has subscribed so far or reached out to me about this blog! I am still working out some things on the page, so their might be errors. But that's okay! I am learning along this journey.
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-Kellie
