On Loving God—Not Money, People, Or Things

Today, my devotional is the featured blog on my friend and fellow Christian author Alexis Goring's Devotionals for the Heart "God is Love" blog.

By Jessica Brodie

Have you ever been so caught up in something—a new romance, your brand-new baby, that gorgeous sports car or perfect job you just know will change your life—that everything else fades into the background?

I’ve been there.

The summer I was 17, all I could talk or think about was my then-boyfriend. No one else mattered. I woke up wanting to spend the day with him, and he was my last thought at night when I fell asleep. I’d practice writing my name paired with his and imagined the kids we’d have one day when we were grown up and settled down. I’m sure my family was overjoyed when we finally broke up and my obsession waned.

My idolatry wasn’t just a thing of my youth. When I graduated from college, I obsessed over the job I wanted, stopping at nothing until I got it—certain it was the answer to all my wants and needs. I’d go in early and stay late, think about it all the time.

Fast forward another eight or so years when my son was born, and it was the same thing. After a couple of years struggling with infertility, my answered prayer had finally arrived. My sweet son became the sun around which everything else in my life revolved.

Today, I like to think I’ve tamped down my obsessive inclinations (though I can get a little tunnel-visioned from time to time!). I’ve realized a life well lived, one filled with joy and peace and true happiness, is one of balance and harmony, where I put God first, others second, and myself last. I’ve also realized my tendency to obsess over new things and wants is not only rooted in fear and out of a desire for security, but also a form of something far worse: idolatry.

If “idolatry” sounds extreme, sadly, it isn’t.

Read the rest of the blog, HERE.