Idol-Worship

Dear Reader,

Have you ever looked at a picture of a celebrity and think to yourself, "That person is so cool/handsome/etc.?"

Or seen him/her act or sing and think, "He/She is so talented!"


Then you, curious to learn more about the person, look up the celebrity on the Internet or in magazines, etc.

Before you know it, you have become a loyal fan. So dedicated, in fact, that you want to get posters/albums/movies/magazines/etc. that are about him/her. You want to know as much as you can about him/her, like birthday, favorite color, etc.

If you are like me, a homeschooled kid whose activities are monitored by parents, you probably plotted in your head on how to get those things without your parents knowing.

Sound familiar?

Well, then. Congratulations. You have fallen into idol worship.

You're probably staring at this post and thinking, "Idol worship? I'm not worshipping or praying to him/her!"

But you think about him/her all the time, right? Imagine about a time where you can meet him/her, make him/her fall in love with you, and the two of you ride off into the sunset together....

I should know because I think those things too.

Idol worship is when something replaces God in your heart and thoughts. When you think more about that person/thing than about God. And when we elevate that person/thing to such a high pedestal that we don't ever think they could ever fall from.

That's worship.

It doesn't have to be a celebrity. It could be anything. A book, an author, money, material possessions....

It's a scary thing since, in many cases, it is not easily recognized as such.

For example, I like this Korean boy group called U-KISS (it's actually an acronym for something, but it escapes my mind at the moment). At first, I thought to myself, it's innocent, the boys in the band are hard-working and great role models, and the songs are innocent in nature. But before I knew it, I had become obsessed with the group.

It's getting in the way of my relationship with God.

I won't lie to you. It's an ongoing struggle right now. In fact, I would appreciate it if you can pray for this obsession to be removed from me and that God give me a desire and obsession for Him.

The reason I'm sharing this with you is because I want you to know how real the danger of idol worship is.

We can all fall to this temptation at any moment. Many times we don't even realize it until we're in too deep.

Our Lord is a jealous God. He doesn't want us to look to other gods when it is He who supplies all our needs. When it is He who saved us from eternal damnation. He is ever-willing, ever-determined to call us back to Him when it seems that we are straying.

And, honestly, I'm straying. But God is helping me with this. And I know that He can and will help you too.

You're probably asking, "How are you dealing with it, Jo?"

Since my problem deals with a real-life celebrity group, this is how I'm working on the problem. Removing the links to their songs and videos on my computer. Playing Christian songs.

I'm now asking God to help me realize that I still need His help and strength to do the final steps. Leaving the fanclubs I have joined and deleting the fanart I have collected.

I thought that I had learned my lesson. That I had to rely on God for His help and strength. I thought I had it all down.

But God has a way of showing us that we still have so much more to learn.

So never think that you know it all. Always remember that God knows us better than we do ourselves and that, as long as we live on this earth, we will still struggle with our flesh.

Love you guys bunches, and remember to keep me (and each other!) accountable. :D

Yours truly,
Joanna
A Minister's Daughter

Jeremiah 29:11

P.S. So, yeah, contrary to popular belief, I'm definitely not perfect. Just kidding. XD Please leave your comments below or give me a shout-out if you have the same problem. :)