Learning some not so pretty things.

Sunday our sermon was on idols and how anything that distracts us from God can be an idol. Now obviously this can be taken to the extreme, not everything in your life is an idol. However I personally believe we all have a few. What are the things in out life that we count on to make us happy? For me its my relationships, when something goes wrong or I need a boost I call my husband, family or friend. My first instinct is not to call on God. I was reading in my "The Search for Significance book and something really jumped out at me:

"If we base our self-worth on the approval of others, then we are actually saying that our ability to please others is of greater values than Christ's payment. We are the sinners, the depraved, the wretched, and the helpless. He is the loving Father, the seeking, searching, patient Savior who has made atonement for the lost and has extended to us His grace and son ship. We add nothing to our salvation. It is God who seeks us out, convicts us of sin, and reveals Himself to us. It is God who gives us the very faith with which to accept Him. our faith is simply our response to what He has done for us.... His work through others is, in part, to serve as a channel by which we can better understand His divine love and acceptance of us. Sadly, we are all prone to miss His message and mistake His messenger(s) as the source of out fulfillment."

Ouch and at least for me so true, I can't wait to learn how to turn this back the right way. I've tried and failed so many times on my own.