I'm Obsessed!!!! (Part 2)

Here we are, almost 2 months after my first "I'm Obsessed!!!!" post. But, after long last, here is my Part 2. 
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So what took me so long to get Part 2 out? I knew this post was going to be different than my other posts. You see, it's been in the works since the end of the summer- call it writer's block, call it laziness, call it fear, call it whatever you want to call it- I just could not get the words out.

My first I'm Obsessed post was all about food and my obsession with food/cooking and talking about it. I literally talk about food wherever I go, to whoever I meet. It is pretty bad. It was during one such conversation nearing the end of the summer that I started thinking about obsession.

We live in an obsession driven world: Obsessed with food, money, friends, popularity, good grades, good reputation, family, cars, music, the arts, fame, religion… ourselves. From birth we are obsessed with something.

It was at this point of realization that my mind was drawn to Matthew 6:24,

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and ...

 Now, the Bible ends with "You cannot serve both God and money", but I got to thinking about that and realized you could substitute that word money out for food, friends, popularity, good grades, good reputation, approval, family, music, religion, ourselves, etc. The list could go on, but I think you get my point.

One of the dangers of living in an obsession driven world is that we make excuses for our obsessions. We call them "hobbies"or "Oh, that's just what they are in to" passing it off as just another every day experience. The truth is, we have been deceived into believing that our obsessions are okay. They are part of our individuality- they help make us who we are. We say, "That is just me- it is who God made me to be". I will not argue with the fact that God creates individual, incredibly special people with a plethora of interests and talents, but we get so stuck on interest and talents we forget that our One and only obsession is to be our Creator.

If you look up synonyms of the word obsession and compare them with those of the word idol, you will see that they share similarities. I submit that they could be synonyms of each other. We serve idols every day when we choose something over our Creator and true Love. I have been reading a series by Lynn Austin called Chronicles of the Kings fanTAStic read (and I do not even particularly enjoy reading long books) It is basically a historical narrative of the Old Testament and the outlines several Kings and captivities the nation of Israel faced and why they faced such captivity. It is obvious that the Lord deals very harshly with the matter of idols. For the idols in one man's heart, a whole nation suffered consequences for years upon end. How much more then do we suffer for the idols of our hearts?

I was reading the series over the summer and perhaps that is where this whole train of though began. If we are not using our "passions" (another synonym of obsession) to serve the Lord or bring glory to Him alone, they have become idols. Break that down for a minute, what was our by-no-means-extensive list of obsessions?

"...food, money, friends, popularity, good grades, good reputation, family, cars, music, the arts, fame, religion… ourselves."

What is our purpose every time we engage in these activities or strive to achieve some of these goals? What about the verse in Proverbs that says a good name is better than riches- we should strive to have a good name then, yes? What about a healthy family and Romans where Paul says that as far as it depends on us to live peaceably- we should compulsively (another synonym of obsessively) live a peaceful life, right?

The problem with having a mindset like this is that we turn our attention off the only right Obsession. We want to have a good name, but why? We want peace in our homes, but why? We want to have a say in our community, but why? We want to have influence, but why? Anyone who has grown up in a semi-conservitive Christian home  knows the automatic, easily-rolled-off-the-tongue response to this question is, "To glorify God, of course!" But really, when we get to the brass tacks of it, are you frustrated in your pursuits? Is your enthusiasm waining when you do not see the results you have prayed for so sincerely for years? Who really is the focus of your passion?

Most of the time when I am faced with these difficult questions, my truthful answer is that I want a good name so people do not think poorly of me or my family, or I want a peaceful and healthy family so I can feel loved and appreciated and tell others how wonderful my family is. I get frustrated when I do all that I can and do not see positive results. Who has become the focus of my obsession?

Me.

We live in an obsession driven world, yes. Obsession is okay- when it is the right obsession.  There is only One right obsession. If He is not your obsession, it is time for a reality check, who are you serving?

"But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day who you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

My prayer is that we will all take this moment to reevaluate Who we serve. This is a matter of eternity, of life or death.

Choose this day, Who you will serve.