When Dreams Become Idols

I've had dreams. Some have come true. Some haven't. Some have turned out well. Some, somewhere in between. I used to dream of being a Dad. And when I became one, I often said that I was living my dream. And for a season, I was. And sometimes, I still do. In many ways, it's been a blessing. Life is like that. Often, there is a mixture of blessings and challenges, trials and triumphs. So, like many things of earth, there have been challenges, even heartache, in being a father. There are plenty of parents who know heartaches from parenting, particularly in today's culture. Some are on the other side of it as it is written into their testimony or even that of their children. There are circumstances where the working gloves of watching and following come off and are replaced with boxing gloves. There are circumstances unexpected. Listen to me: I sound like I am focused on circumstances. That type of focus is off.

This reminds me that there are good things, even blessings, that sometimes become idols ... and heartaches. If I focus on circumstances to the point of idolatry, when they (eventually) let me down, I can be tempted to despair, but I am reminded that the only way to successfully navigate the storms of life is by faith. You might say, "I believe. I have faith." And you might check it off like a checkbox, but faith is for every day. I recall a book The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges where there was a chapter entitled "Preach the Gospel to Yourself" where the reader was urged to preach the Gospel to himself daily. There is wisdom in that. Do I need Jesus less today than yesterday? Will I need him less tomorrow than today? Will I need him less than before I first believed? No, no and no. I need Him every day in ways beyond measure. A colleague of mine once said that change was the only constant. However, there is One greater than change who is the ultimate Constant: Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever, something we read in Hebrews 13:8.

If we focus on circumstances, even good things, even blessings, and they become idols, we will discover that they will let us down. Only God fulfills fully. Other things are temporary. Let us therefore focus on the unseen as 2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV) says, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

We're halfway through the year. How many of you have kept your New Years' resolutions? My family doesn't do resolutions. No judgment, but we don't. Each Christmas, we offer gifts to Jesus and they take the forms of words, things that He is laying on our hearts to offer Him. At the beginning of the year, I typed my words in my budget so I see them regularly. My words were "TRUST (and peace)." And one leads to the other. Trusting God brings peace, no matter the circumstances. Peace doesn't come through trusting circumstances, even if they are blessings. Do you have a great family? Do you have good health? Do you have financial stability? Don't make them the basis of your trust. I'm not saying walk around paranoid or ungrateful, but be reminded that you are not your own (see 1 Corinthians 6:19). Those things are on loan. They are temporary. Our trust is not to be resting on created things. Rather, do you trust God? That, in each moment, in each day, in each season, and for life, is the question. In heartache and blessing, do you trust God? Trusting Him is having peace in this ever-changing life.

I've been reminded of this again lately. A recent sermon from 2 Timothy 1 marked how Paul (in the context of being thrown in a pit-like prison) wrote at the end of his life, facing execution, but still wrote about God's power, love and having a sound mind. Even in horrific circumstances, Paul could have such peace. In a recent Bible study of the passage, I was reminded that we are to fan this gift of God into flame. The Greek for fan into flame in 2 Timothy 1:6 is actually "kindle anew" άναζωπυρειν (anazopyrein) and comes from 3 words: "ana" + "zo" + "pyrein" which respectively mean "to repeat, increase in intensity" + "living creature or beast" + "fire." We are to repeatedly, intensely, bring to life the fire that 2 Timothy 1:6 says: "the gift of God which is in you." As a believer, God's love, power and provision of a sound mind are available to you. And they are the gift of God. Gift in the Greek charisma (χάρισμα) has the root word "grace" which has the root word "joy". God's love, power and provision of a sound mind are His gift, His grace and His joy to give to anyone who believes.

Is your mind going crazy over circumstances? Maybe you are facing signicant stressors at work. Maybe you have a difficult family situation. Maybe your health isn't doing well. Maybe your body doesn't work as well as it used to. Or maybe things are going well. Either way, do you trust God? Is He your focus. Is He the source of your peace? Are you believing in Him in faith, realizing His power, love, and provision of sound mind being available in you through His Spirit, a gift of His grace and joy?

After sharing with the disciples challenges they would face, Jesus said the following in John 16:33 (NIV):

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

Dream on that. And realize, it's not just a dream. Focus on the fact that He is a firm Foundation on Whom you can rely. And go in peace and faith.

Top of Page

Ichthus Library: Personal Works

Beacon Deacon Home