Now some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me.
And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?" Isaiah 14:2-3
I
am of good Danish stock on my mother's side. Apparently an extreme love of
coffee is part of that heritage. In fact, for my entire childhood and beyond,
my grandma would come over to our house at 10 a.m. every morning except Sunday
for coffee with my mom. It was a tradition that kept them in constant touch
with each other while at the same time giving each her second morning cup, the first one being ingested upon awaking.
 |
| Image Pixabay "Body-n-Care" |
When
in her 50s my mom started having heart palpitations and decided she better go
to the doctor and have it checked out. To her dismay, the doctor told her that
it was because she was drinking too much caffeine. He told her she needed to
stop or her life could be cut short. Without missing a beat, my mom announced
she would rather die early than give up coffee.
Later
at home she reflected on what she had just done and laughed at herself. She
realized that she, a tee-totaling Baptist who would not drink a drop of
alcohol, had expressed willingness to die for coffee!
And
I am my mother's daughter. Although coffee in excess does not tempt me, (my
bloodline was diluted from my dad's side), I have other temptations to
excess—temptations to clutch to my heart things unworthy of such devotion.
 |
| My mom and I in 1978 |
"The human heart is a factory of idols," John Calvin eloquently stated. It is definitely true for me. While I have absolutely
no temptation to bow down to an idol made of wood or stone, I have a huge
propensity to bow down to idols created in my own heart. In fact, unless I
purposefully determine to worship God and God alone and immerse myself in God’s
Word so I recognize potential idols, I will almost immediately be admiring other people or
things more than Him.
My
mom's story has a happy ending. By cutting back on coffee the palpitations
stopped. And how thankful I am that I, her daughter, have also been able to get
in proper balance similar things in my life—things that in themselves are not
sinful, but in excess turn my heart away for the only thing truly worthy of
adoration, God Himself.
See Disappointing People.
No comments:
Post a Comment