My Lists

Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them. (Psalm 115:1-8 ESV).

 

The “joke” around my house is how I run my lists. I generally have several “to do” lists, and each one deals with a different area of my life. There’s a “work” list, a “home maintenance” list, a “ministry” list, and others that constantly change as the day develops. I find these lists helpful for managing my life. But I’ve also found that these lists can easily distort not only my life but also me. The psalmist says in our reading today that when we set up idols in our lives, we become like them. An idol can be anything in our lives that becomes more important to us than God is (or should be).

 

When our lists become too important, we can see everything and every person in our world as a task that needs to be crossed off the list. That really distorts the meaning of loving God and others, caring for people in need. If all they are is an item on our list, we are not loving or caring for them at all. And just as lists are typically written in a two-dimensional format, we, too, begin to become a shallow, two-dimensional person.

 

There are hundreds of “things” that call out to us, saying, “Look! Pay attention to me! I’ll make you happy.” But they are all lying. Money and possessions turn our hearts toward “cold, hard cash.” Following all the “right” rules make us judgmental slaves to a law when God wants us to have spiritual freedom. Doing good things can keep us from doing the best things.

 

We can only find true, full life when God alone is at the center. Who is at the heart of your list? How do you determine what is of the utmost importance in your life?