THIS...is your American Idol.

I'm reading a book called "Gospel" by JD Greear. It's a great book, and I'm not surprised by how much it's teaching me about the power of the Gospel. I am surprised, however, with how much it's teaching me about the power of food.

The chapter I just read was about idols. An idol is something you worship, we all know that probably. But what we don't know, is what it means to actually worship something in practical terms. For instance, do you know how to identify idols in your life? Here is the "Idolatry-Detector" Test and how I realized that food is, absolutely, my idol. Fill in the answers:

1. What one thing do you most hope is in your future? What is it that, without it, life would hardly seem worth living? (Mexican food. No, seriously, I used to be right there.)
2. What is one thing you worry most about losing? What one thing could you just absolutely not get along without? (Again, El Dorado. No, I really, REALLY, miss it.)
3. If you could change one thing about yourself right now, what would it be? (Whatever you come up with, you probably want to change that thing because you think that if you did you'd be so much happier. For instance, if I lose 100 pounds and the only thing I've learned is that I need smaller pants, I'm in big trouble.)
4. When do you feel the most significant? (The answer for me is - when people love and accept me...and because I will never reach a 100% approval rating, I have used food to keep everyone else at a distance. See the power struggle?)
5. Where do you turn for comfort when things are not going well? (Ummmm...duh.)

These are a few of the determining factors when it comes to idols in your life. Is food our American Idol? It sure seems like it. Arby's advertises "Good Mood Food." Cracker Barrel advertises "Comfort Food." What is the one room in the house that people tend to gather? The kitchen. We use food to comfort us and put us in a good mood, when all it is doing is stuffing down emotions that need to be dealt with. Food lasts for that ten seconds of flavor, and leaves us with an emptiness for life.

Why are we so outwardly focused? Why are we obsessed with how we look on the outside that we don't spend nearly enough time on the inside? I would challenge all of us to identify our idols. Is it a relationship? Is it a sports team? Is it your job? What is one thing that, if it was taken away from you, would devastate you beyond repair? What is your foundation?

Whatever it is...is God better?

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” - Matthew 7