Communal Reflection on Heart Idols
Last week's comment thread had some insightful thoughts about heart idols from some in our community. I thought I'd put some of them out here on the front page because they might help the rest of us in thinking more deeply about our own idolatries.
Nicole wrote:
This may sound silly, but I'd love a list of "typical" heart idols so I can think through them. I tend to think through the same few ones over and over like "pride," "control," "selfishness," etc. What am I missing?
I suggested the following (partial) list, taken from a discipleship curriculum called Gospel Transformation:
Reputation Idols (wanting to be known as a "good something-or-other")
Control Idols
Lordship Idols (wanting people to serve me)
Money Idols
Sex Idols
Health Idols
Victim Idols (clinging to my problems so people will focus on me)
Pleasure Idols
Fear Idols
Giftedness Idols (taking pleasure in the things I'm good at)
Remember: an idol is "anything we believe we need apart from Jesus to make us happy, satisfied, or fulfilled."
Tommy wrote:
It has been important for me to realize in my transformation that things I think of as "good" such as being a good uncle or student or husband are really taking the place of Christ and preventing me from experiencing my sonship.
One other thought, as previously mentioned I think it is at times hard to figure out what my heart idols are. One way [Tim] Keller often spoke of to recognize these things was to note the situations when we really feel as though our sense of value or worth is damaged. Often in these situations it can be found that whatever heart idol I have placed my significance in has let me down and thus my self worth suffers. I feel terrible when I feel I have let someone down or do not live up to their expectations. When this happens I quickly awaken to the fact that I have again committed idolatry.
Let's keep thinking on these things. What are your heart idols? How are you doing at identifying them?
Nicole wrote:
This may sound silly, but I'd love a list of "typical" heart idols so I can think through them. I tend to think through the same few ones over and over like "pride," "control," "selfishness," etc. What am I missing?
I suggested the following (partial) list, taken from a discipleship curriculum called Gospel Transformation:
Reputation Idols (wanting to be known as a "good something-or-other")
Control Idols
Lordship Idols (wanting people to serve me)
Money Idols
Sex Idols
Health Idols
Victim Idols (clinging to my problems so people will focus on me)
Pleasure Idols
Fear Idols
Giftedness Idols (taking pleasure in the things I'm good at)
Remember: an idol is "anything we believe we need apart from Jesus to make us happy, satisfied, or fulfilled."
Tommy wrote:
It has been important for me to realize in my transformation that things I think of as "good" such as being a good uncle or student or husband are really taking the place of Christ and preventing me from experiencing my sonship.
One other thought, as previously mentioned I think it is at times hard to figure out what my heart idols are. One way [Tim] Keller often spoke of to recognize these things was to note the situations when we really feel as though our sense of value or worth is damaged. Often in these situations it can be found that whatever heart idol I have placed my significance in has let me down and thus my self worth suffers. I feel terrible when I feel I have let someone down or do not live up to their expectations. When this happens I quickly awaken to the fact that I have again committed idolatry.
Let's keep thinking on these things. What are your heart idols? How are you doing at identifying them?
posted by Bob | 8:04 AM
5 Comments:
I have known for a long time that my reputation is my heart idol. But it wasn’t until this week that I realized why. The reason that I want people to think of me as great is because I think so highly of myself. If I am really honest with myself, I think I am better than you, whoever is reading this. It doesn’t matter who you are or how I know you, I already think I am better than you. I don’t long to feel valued by other people because I think so low of myself, I value it because I think so much of myself. And when other people think I am awesome, it validates me.
During a conversation I had last night, my true ugliness came out. We were talking about my pride and someone asked me a question. To be honest I don’t even remember what it was. But the answer that came out of me stunned both of us. “Really, I want God to fix me and me to get the credit.” This pride that is so deep within my soul, this arrogance, these thoughts that I am better than you are in such violation of the most basic reason God created me. I am robbing God of His glory. On top of that, I do not love anyone as I love myself. The two commands that all the others hang from are so far from what I want to do right now. I am in desperate need of forgiveness, but to be honest, I don’t know that I can even repent. This sin is so deeply rooted. It feels like a brain tumor, one that has tentacles that reach deep inside and wrap around everything, that so consume everything that is vital to life. It feels like if I remove it, I will be dead. It is that deep within my soul.
I am happy that Christ does not call me to live on my own, but that He calls me to die to myself so that I can be alive in Him. But to be honest, my pride isn’t letting me be truly sorry. I have confessed to God and begged for undeserved forgiveness, but I think it is because I want to do the right thing. I want to be seen as a good Christian by Him and by you. It’s like if a little kid hits his sister and his parents make him apologize. That is where I am at with repentance. I have said it, but pretty much just because I have to. I think that I am better than you and that I don’t need to repent because I am not really that bad.
Repentance, by defination, is asking God for forgiveness of a specific sin and then turning away from it.......
Now, I understand that I have just over-simplified one of the hardest disciplines of the Christian faith. But I do that for 2 reasons.
1) Before Christ was nailed to the cross for all of mankinds sins (past, present, and future), I am more than sure that He knew you would struggle with the sin of pride. I am also sure that He knows that you would feel so overwhelmed by the fact that you could do nothing, on your own, to appease the weight of the sin of your pride. Good news: He died and rose again, for that as well.
2) "Turning away from sin" is NOT AND I REPEAT NOT IN THE FORM OF BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION. Which if you check out last weeks sermon on mp3 you will get some more info. However; Turning away from sin, "is confession of your sins one to another that you might be set free." Which you have done with true transparency, and thank you for that. And alowing the Gospel of Jesus (i.e. point #1) to be your neurosurgen. So that we will no longer desire the things that are less than Christ.
Repentence is something to be desperate for, something to pray (ask) for, something to fast for, something to worship for.
Sometimes the fruit of repentence comes unexpectantly on a random sunny Thursday afternoon in the middle of October; and sometimes the start of repentence is asking God to give you the desire-to have the desire-to want to repent.
Now, what I have said above is just the tip and there is no blue-print for this issue. I say that to say...anyone of us @ CD would love to chat more if you want.
"sometimes the start of repentence is asking God to give you the desire-to have the desire-to want to repent."
Thanks Will. I praise God that salvation is here, it is from brokenness, that He came for the sick and not the healthy. I really have no idea what repentance looks like. So thanks for helping me try to find it.
Only three comments so far? It's just sharing the ugliest and most emotionally wrenching parts of ourselves in a public forum, people...
I'm guilty of all the entries on the list to various degrees, except for the victim one I guess, which kind of leads into a question: at what point have we reached the true heart idol? I know the answer to this question is highly variable, but take the money idol- I don't worship money, exactly, but the control over my own situation that money gives me. But control, in turn, is really just trusting in my own strength to preserve me or my own knowledge as sufficient to guide me... which prompts my other question- does every instance of idolatry ultimately reduce to self-worship?
My biggest heart idol is reputation, I think, or maybe lordship. Anon's comment above is true of me also, and I'd add this extension- the affection/worship of another is all I want, because if it goes any deeper I fear losing it, and at the same time am contemptuous of the person giving it and don't want to be closer because they aren't as worthy. It's really ugly. It seems to me that this is Satan's fundamental character; at my worst, I'm a weak little Satan.
Jesus is my only hope to love God more than myself. God's glory manifest in creation and in His Son breaks my heart of my self-worship- I am so clearly not worthy. He is the reconciliation whereby I cease to be an adversary of God and become His adopted son. And the awareness I am loved by God, despite my unworthiness and rebellion, is the only way I can love others. And he is changing me like this day by day. It is exquisitely sweet.
Lane, ever the thinker... your insights are beyond your years.
Yes, every instance of idolatry ultimately reduces to self-worship. That's why Willard says death to self is the essence of the gospel. "Selfishness," however, is such a vague and trite word, that thinking in terms of 'heart idols' helps us get a little more traction on exactly how our self-worship manifests itself.
Thanks for being exquisitely thoughtful. :)
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