My Idol--by Jessica Becker

Here is a poem I wrote today after God revealed an idol in my life. My explanation follows.

MY IDOL--by Jessica Becker

I say, "There is but one God,"

Yet daily I serve another.

I wake up early

and my idol is on my mind.

I look to my idol to find guidance for the day

Anytime someone asks me,

"Can you do such-and-such?"

I consult my idol first.

My idol is always with me

It never lets me rest--

it only makes me a slave

and drains my soul.

My idol is always demanding more of me

and I keep giving it.

I want to accomplish all my idol asks

and if more is added

I will do it too,

even if my strength is gone.

When the day is finally over

I look to my idol to make sure I pleased it--

to make sure I did all it asked of me.

I lay my head down at night

thinking about my idol

and all I will do tomorrow to serve it.

Will I ever do enough to please my idol?

Or will my idol keep demanding more of me

until I crumble

and am left with nothing?

O God, why did I not inquire of you?

Why did I let another become my god?

Why do I become a slave

to one that is not my loving and gracious God?

Lord, you only ask me to so

that which you strengthen me to do.

You don't expect more from me

than you gave me grace to do.

Please take away my idol and burn it.

Let it not become my god again.

Please forgive me

and be my one true God

today

and every day

In Jesus' name

Amen

My idol=My schedule. Read my poem again and see if you can relate.

We read Isaiah 44 and think it is obvious how silly the man is who carves and builds his own idol then worships it. Yet we do the same thing! We are even more silly and blind with our piece of paper--looking at our schedule and making it ourselves, and then becoming slaves to it and wearing ourselves from it. I look at it constantly and make sure I did everything, then I think about it and keep going again without looking to God, whom I serve.

Isaiah said:

"The blacksmith takes a tool and works with it in the coals;

he shapes an idol with hammers,

he forges it with the might of his arm.

He gets hungry and loses his strength;

he drinks no water and grows faint."
~Isaiah 44.12

This sounds silly to us if we think of a wooden image to bow to. But we do the same thing--and that was me last week. I was so stressed out and running around trying to do everything on my schedule. I forgot a meeting and let down some people. Then I decided to make it up by working even harder, but my strength ran out.

Then it says:

"No one stops to think..

"Shall I bow down to a block of wood?...

Is this thing in my right hand a lie?"

~Isaiah 44.19-20

God says:

"Remeber these things, [O Jessica],

for you are my servant...

I have made you, you are my servant."

~Isaiah 44.21

It is the Lord we are serving. I pray that I will no longer look to this idol but to God who is the only God.

"All who make idols are nothing,

and the things they treasure are worthless."

~Isaiah 44.9

"This is what the LORD says--Israel's King and Redeemer,

The Lord Almighty:

'I am the first and I am the last;

apart from me there is no God.'"

~Isaiah 44.6