Rolodex of Idols

“Man's nature, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols.” 

― John Calvin

Awwww...fall.   My favorite season.  It is a season of beautiful colors as summer transitions into winter.  I, too, am in the middle of some major life transitions.  Moving to a new (yet old) area (and a lot has changed!), transitioning from homeschooling 1 very self-motivated and compliant child to homeschooling 3 (and did I mention that one of these said children is a strong-willed 3 1/2-year-old preschooler?!), starting team sports for my two oldest children (are they REALLY this old already?), and adjusting to my husband's new work and travel schedule (who is now wearing cleaned and pressed uniforms instead of flight suit "pajamas" every day {insert weeping and gnashing of teeth...along with an iron and spray starch....}).

TRANSITION.  

Suddenly it isn't so pretty.  

I was feeling as though the walls were caving in on me last week at about this time.  Josh had just come home from work bearing the news that he would have to travel and be away for the entire next week.  The same week that our homeschooling co-op and soccer season was set to begin (and practice times and locations were still to be determined!).  I was still folding laundry (a chore I usually pride myself on completing before lunch)...and I also had NOT had the opportunity (on that second day of homeschooling!) to take care of the pesky little problem in the refrigerator which involved a near-empty milk carton in a home full of children.  Bleh.

Well, Josh was very willing to change clothes and head back out to the store for some desperately needed groceries (thank you sweetie!), but I was feeling overwhelmed as things seemed to be spinning out of my control (HELLO my #1 idol!).  As soon as I heard the garage door close behind him, I started to cry a bit and my mind just reeled.  What did I think of?  Well, I like to call it my "rolodex of idols."

You see, what do I do when the going gets tough and I am anxious?  Stressed?  Depressed?  Lonely?  Afraid?  I wish I could say that I run to the throne of Almighty God and pray to Him for help and comfort "a la Hezekiah" (2 Kings 19).  Nope.  Instead, my mind goes through all those things that I run to instead for comfort and relief.  When Josh left for the store that day, here's what raced through my mind...

Oh, look, Josh bought us some wine from the Exchange and left it on the counter.  Hmm...I should pour a glass so I can relax a bit...it's gotta be 5:00 somewhere!  Oh, and I can buy a lot of crafting supplies so I can craft in the evenings next week when he is away so I can have some down time.  And Starbucks is rolling out their Pumpkin Spice Latte--I NEED one.  And where IS that chocolate stash???  UGH! Make a note to stock some chocolate in this house!!  Maybe I need to go for a run.  He just needs to take the kids this week so I can relax and have some space....

And on and on it went.  You get the idea...

I was completely self-absorbed, flipping through my "rolodex of idols"--COMFORT.  CONTROL.  MATERIALISM.  CONSUMERISM.  SELF-INDULGENCE.

It wasn't pretty.

The irony of all of this is that I had read the 2nd chapter of Jeremiah just HOURS prior to Josh coming home from work that day.  This passage in particular jumped out at me during my Bible reading time...

"for my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me,    the fountain of living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,    
broken cisterns that can hold no water." (Jeremiah 2:13)


And it was as I was searching the kitchen for a bottle opener and some chocolate that God yanked me out of my downward, self-absorbed thought "rolodex" and it dawned on me that I was chasing all my idols and forsaking the ONE true source of hope and comfort and strength--the Lord God Himself! I was hewing out broken cisterns that would not hold water, instead of going to the fountain of Living Water!  He reminded me of a precious proverb found in Proverbs 18:10...

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run into it and are saved."

And God challenged me to run to HIM....first and foremost...instead of a Starbucks latte and my crafting supplies.  I went to bed that night praying through that proverb, and it was on my mind first thing the following morning when I woke up to our orientation day for our homeschooling co-op.

Run to ME.  Your STRONG TOWER.

Well, later that morning at orientation, the children headed out of the large meeting room to gather with their classmates and tutors, while we mothers were left behind to circle up our chairs and get to know each other for a bit.  I stood up and dragged my chair around to the opposite side of the room to sit, and while introductions were being made around the circle, I looked up and read a vinyl sign with letters that stood about 12 inches high, nearly spanning the entire back wall of the room.  It's message?  You'll never guess...

THE NAME OF THE LORD IS A STRONG TOWER         PROV. 18:10

My throat caught.  My eyes teared up.  Seriously?!  Oh, mercy, how our God is SO GOOD.

Well, I was the last woman in the room to share in the circle, and I just HAD to let the other ladies know about how faithful our God is to each one of us.  He has GOT this.  HE has got this.  For me.  For you.  It doesn't get much better clearer than that, folks.

And then...later in the week...God showed me that water tower...and gave me a gracious visual about 100 feet high in case I forget!

So, I in turn want to challenge you, dear friend!  As you hit the hard notes of TRANSITION this fall and are thrown up against the wall with the busyness of work, sports, school schedules, and new responsibilities...will you try to hew out broken cisterns that cannot hold water...or will you choose to run to God, our strong tower of strength and hope and comfort?  By God's grace, let us fall at His feet and name HIM as our one and only source for ALL that is good!