Creating an Idol

Exodus 20:1-3 NKJV And God spoke all these words, saying: ² “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.  ³ “You shall have no other gods before Me.

An idol is simply an object of worship.  And to worship something or someone, other than God, means to give them the best of our time, attention, energy or even money.

Carrie spent the week after her cancer diagnosis in the hospital so tests could be done, scans could be run, and a gameplan for treatment could be established.  Amid the activity there is also a lot of downtime in the hospital – especially for those not in the bed.  For me, this was the fertile soil my mind needed to begin creating an idol.

When it came to Carrie’s treatment, we knew we would do a couple of things for sure.  First, we would pray – pressing into our faith and calling on the Lord we served to intervene in our situation.  Second, we would follow the recommendations of her doctors; after all, they’re the “experts”, right?

But, on top of prayer and medical care, I was very busy constructing other ways we were going to attack this disease.  I thought, “If prayer and medical are 2 ways to attack it, what are the other 8?”  So, I got busy – really busy.  Watching hundreds of YouTube videos on natural cures to cancer, researching and buying scores of supplements, reading numerous books, listening endlessly to podcasts, and so much more.  Soon, these supplemental tools became my primary focus.  It became all about the food, supplements, and any other suggested protocols I had come across.  In my desperation to change our situation, I had lost focus on the Lord.

Compounding the problem, was Carrie’s response to it all.  While she is still mentally and emotionally trying to process everything that is happening to her physically, she had me coming at her with all this material I had accumulated.  I was trying to force her to follow my idol.  It wasn’t working and it only caused frustration for both of us – and, for a time, it created a communication barrier between us where she could not talk honestly with me about what she was thinking or how she was feeling.

Yet, in His grace, God was patient with me.  After many months of relentlessly pursuing the “health idol” I had fashioned, the Lord brought me to a place of repentance and refocus.  Diet, exercise, and supplements are still very beneficial for one’s quality life.  But the Lord reminded me that HE is the ultimate Source of life – and our days are already pre-determined by Him.  

After repenting to the Lord, I repented to Carrie for overwhelming her with my idol – which was ultimately born out of fear.  The Lord, in His mercy, forgave me.  Carrie, in her precious love, forgave me.  And I learned firsthand just how easy it is to still create our own idols today.

Bottom line – Who or what is getting the best of your time, attention, and resources today?

Philip Hickman has been the Lead Pastor of Legacy Baptist Church in Fort Worth, TX since August 2010.  He and his wife, Carrie enjoyed a wonderful marriage before she went to be with the Lord just 6 days before their 25th anniversary.  Together, Philip and Carrie have 2 adults children also serving in ministry – a son, John and his wife, Hannah, serving at Generations Church in Keller, TX, and daughter Abby, a college student and ministry leader at Legacy.