Don't Idolize Your Work
“Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.”
“Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”
“Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.”
The term idol usually brings up images of carved gods and goddesses, or perhaps a golden calf, or other images of things that people worship instead of the Lord our God. In essence, we usually view idols as something that exists in the physical realm to actually kneel before and pray to.
That, however, is not the full truth about idols. Yes, those things definitely are idols, but in reality an idol can exist in any form or fashion! That is because idolatry is, at its core, a heart condition.
Anything can become an idol, even good things! Idols can be fame, money, strength, physical fitness, dieting, food, spouses, children, pets, relationships, work, hobbies, projects, vehicles, entertainment, art, music, morals (even good ones, when you value them above God!), school, sports, plants, even furniture. Every single one of these things has the potential to become an idol if we let it become the sole focus of our mind and the key item in our heart.
All this leads to a relatively shocking truth: the purpose and passions that God has given us, our talents and creations that we have been set to use and do, can become idols. They become idols when we start putting them before our time with God ("I'll read my Bible after I write three more chapters..."). They become idols when they usurp our identities in Christ ("I'm an artist! And, uh, a Christian. I guess..."). They become idols when we strive more for their glory than to glorify God through them ("MY film won four awards!").
After something becomes an idol, it is a pretty streamlined, three-step process for it to damage every part of our lives:
They take up the spot in our hearts where God should be sitting, disconnecting us from Him.
Through that disconnection, we fall deeper into sin, burn out, exhaustion, and all other kinds of problems.
Our work begins to suffer, and we struggle to move forward in the task and purpose that God has given us.
Idols are not comforting or easy to worship; they demand more and more, without the comfort and love that we get from worshipping our Creator. We will never fill the God-sized throne in our hearts with all of these other things we chase after and it will wear us down to nothing.
Hope is not all lost, however! Just because you idolize something does not mean you have to throw it out the window (although that's a good strategy for things that are expendable in your life). God can lead you back into proper worship with Him and set your work where it needs to be in your heart and mind. There is always, always redemption in repentance. The sooner you can recognize the issue and repent, the sooner you can get back on track with your mission for God!
Putting it into Action: It is no easy thing to look at yourself and ask ‘what am I idolizing?’, but it is an important question to ask every now and again. If you are feeling especially burnt out, exhausted, and like you are chasing after your talents, abilities, and passions without any sort of viable return, pray for wisdom to see if the problem is the idolization of your craft. If it is, pray and repent! Return to the Father so He can fill you back up with rest, energy, and renewed strength to continue! It will be a sweet and loving reunion!
