The Thing You Reach For

Exodus 20:4 (CEB) · The Good Life

“Do not make an idol for yourself—no form whatsoever—of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth.” – Exodus 20:4 (CEB)

Almost nobody sets out to build an idol. We don’t bow to statues. But an idol has always been simpler than that. It is a good thing we ask to do God’s job. Money is good, until we ask it to make us safe. Work is good, until we ask it to make us worthy. A child, a relationship, a reputation, all good, until we hand them the weight that only God can carry.

And here is the trouble: a good thing asked to be God will always buckle under the load, and so will we. Today, notice the thing you reach for first when you feel empty or afraid. That reach is honest. It shows you what you are actually trusting to save you.

God, I have handed good things a job they were never meant to do. Take the weight off of them, and let me trust you with what only you can hold. Through Christ I pray. Amen.