Today we take our final look at the third chapter of the wonderful book of Hebrews and consider things that can be, and often are, worshipped by us.
HeBrews: A Better Blend
Jews of antiquity considered Moses to be one of the greatest persons who ever lived. It is possible they even considered Moses to be greater than Jesus Christ, so the author of Hebrews intended to address this misconception head-on. When we begin to elevate a thing or person to a place of worship, something else has to be removed from that same pedestal. As Christians, both then and now, Jesus Christ should be the sole focus of our worship. We, along with the Hebrews of antiquity, are reminded that while Moses was a faithful servant in God’s house, Jesus was the one who built the house and He deserves all our worship.
Idol worship is not just something that affected the Jews of old. Oh no, it is something you and I deal with in 2012…whether we admit it or not. I would be doing us an injustice if gloss over the issue of idolatry as we finish chapter three. Allow me, if you will, to share with you a bit of my own story of idolatry. My idol was my body. I’ve shared my story of the journey I walked with anorexia here, here, here, here, here, and here. So for today’s post, I’m offering you just a portion of it that really drives home the point about idolatry.
With the exception of the first five years of my life, I have struggled with my weight all my life. When I was five years old, my parents had my tonsils taken out because they were constantly infected and swollen. Suddenly, I felt good and could eat comfortably. And did I eat!!! In the first year after my tonsillectomy, I gained 25 pounds. I went from a wisp of child to pleasingly plump almost overnight. My mother was determined I would not be fat. In the late 1960’s we had not entered the politically correct era and so she never used the word obese. I would not be FAT. She watched my weight like a hawk watches its prey.
‘You can’t have that. It will make you FAT.’
‘That is FATTENING. You should not eat it.’
‘No, we don’t eat bread because it is fattening’.
‘Potatoes and corn will make you FAT.’
‘Desserts are FATTENING.’
I know she was only doing what she thought was best for me, but the message I internalized was ‘you are fat and you don’t need to eat that’. Hear me! I was the one whose ‘understand-er’ was broken. She said one thing and I heard a totally different message. Over time, the message became louder and louder in my subconscious until one day, I decided I would lose weight. When I was fifteen, I began dieting and lost fifteen pounds in the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The next summer, I lost five more pounds and then five more and five more.
There was something of a ‘high’ that came with losing weight and being thin. Before I even realized what was happening, I weighed less than 100 pounds, yet I saw myself as F-A-T. My whole focus became losing more weight. In those days I ‘allowed’ myself 600 calories each day. Six hundred stinkin’ calories. No one can live on six hundred calories, yet that seemed to be the magic amount of calories that would keep me alive and thin. Barely alive and very thin.
My whole existence centered around counting calories, weighing myself and looking in the mirror to make sure not a single ounce of fat had crept onto my slight frame. As you might imagine, after a few months of this, I was unable to function normally. I could not concentrate in college, I lost consciousness several times a day, and was a total mess. My body had become my god and I had completely de-throned Jesus from my life. Thankfully, God sent a wise professor into my life to call me out on my illness and encourage me to seek help.
My body was my god and I worshipped faithfully at the altar of starvation. Today, I am in a much better place and do not struggle with anorexia like I did in my twenties. However, I still must make conscious decisions regarding Who occupies the throne of my heart.
MEDITATION MOMENT: Only Jesus should occupy the throne in the heart and life of a Christian. WHO or WHAT occupies the throne of you heart?
