Much (most even?) of the busyness of society as we know it has ground to a halt.  Shut down and on indefinite hold.  Not happening.  Idle.

Which means many of the typically taken-for-granted, do-on-a-whim resources weren’t/aren’t available.  Not to mention the recreational activities we commonly resorted to for relaxation.  Social distancing definitely distances us from our usual socialness!

I am convinced that the Lord is accomplishing an abundance of “God-things” through this pandemic.  I suspect that at least one of those “God-things” is forcing Christians to recognize the idols they have surreptitiously fostered in their hearts.

When one suddenly can’t do the “usual” he or she has usually been able to do whenever they wanted, or enjoy the activities they usually expect to enjoy, it forces one to take stock.  “What really are my priorities?”  Or perhaps more accurately, “Oh no!  THESE are really my priorities!  These are really my (gasp) … idols!”

An idol isn’t just a statue on a mantle.  More often it is the focus of our heart; the center of our secret adoration; the driving force behind our thoughts and actions.

Chances are that our idols aren’t typically front and center in our hearts where they are easily discerned.  Rather, they likely reside in the back corner of our souls, nestled in the shadows and hidden behind curtains of denial.  We are generally pretty adept at fooling ourselves.

But now a pandemic and the resulting restrictions have brought so much to a halt, yanking the curtains of denial open and shining light into the shadows.  “The idle” has revealed the idols.

So what has “the idle” revealed to me about my idol? 

How transparent should I be?  They say that confession is good for the soul, (and the Bible says it is so), but this is difficult for me to share.  It’s difficult enough for me to wrestle with privately, much less to broadcast.  But here goes:

The idol revealed to me by “the idle” is … baseball.  As in, “Yes, I know the disease is highly contagious and potentially deadly, but you can’t cancel baseball!”

I assure you I was never that callous.  But my heart grieved that my son was going to miss his first high school baseball season, and I was devastated that the Major League Baseball season was postponed and potentially cancelled.  Baseball has been one of my “go to’s” to get away.  The Lord shined some much-needed light into my soul and showed me something I needed to face.

I’m not proud of what was there, but I am thankful that I was able to address it and, with God’s help, reset my priorities into a more proper alignment.

Perhaps “the idle” has illuminated your own idol or idols.  Or maybe your secret god is not affected by the virus?  (That doesn’t mean you don’t have one or two.  You almost certainly do.)  Another sobering thought is perhaps the idol that is revealed may not be your only one.  (I suspect I have a few more lurking in my heart.)

God’s first commandment to us demands, “You shall have no other gods.”  It’s his First Commandment – not only because the Lord wants to stress that he expects to be our only God, but also because we are so inclined to establish other gods in our hearts.

So how do we deal with our idols?  Pages could be written on this.  However, I’ll attempt to keep it simple.  Let’s call the process the “4 R’s.”

We recognize both our false god/s and the real One.  Only the real One belongs in our heart!  “Whom have I in heaven but you?  And earth has nothing I desire besides you.  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever”  (Psalm 73:25-26). 

We repent.  We admit our idolatry, we turn to the Lord in sorrow over our sin, and we rejoice in our forgiveness through Jesus.  “The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).  

And finally, we revise our values.  Not just because we have to, but because we want to.  Not just temporarily but, with God’s help, permanently.  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ …”  (2 Corinthians 5:17-18).

The true God is in actuality the only God!  He should be the only God residing in our heart as well.  Thankfully, the only true God is also an exceedingly gracious God!

Thank you, Lord, for your forgiveness.  Thank you also that through “the idle” you reveal the idol.

I would be extremely interested to hear if you had any idle/idol revelations as a result of our current situation.  Please share!