TUNNEL
VISION
Seeking after
a thing, in this world, other than God, is idolatry. Riches, fame, beauty, sex,
whatever it is, if it takes your attention off of God and focuses it on
anything else, it is bad for you. I use these forms of idolatry because our
world is warped by them. Nothing is sacred, every unethical tactic is okay as
long as it is profitable, sex sells everything, vanity is sickening in our
culture today and used to promote our ‘way of life.’
The thing
is, when you are focused on something to such a degree, your vision zeroes in
on it. You adapt your way of seeing this world to immediately see the
opportunity to acquire that thing. You begin to dwell on how to acquire it, how
to keep it and worry over losing it. You develop tunnel vision, like a hunter
looking through a scope. Most hunters see nothing else.
Let me give
you an example:
You spend your life making sure no one ever sees you without
makeup. You developed your sense of taste in clothing, hair, nails and makeup.
You feel so strongly about it that you slowly start spending more and more
money to achieve a certain result. You may have a sweet spirit, but you have
become so consumed by your beauty and fashion that what you base your decisions
around it. You would never go to church without looking your very best. In
fact, you believe it is just as important for others. You are shocked by the
way people look when they come to church and you can’t help noticing how little
they care. How do they do it?! “She would look so much better if she wore
make-up.” “I wonder if she can’t afford decent clothes, she is wearing jeans!”
You may even make mention of it to one of your friends. But you would never
tell her. I suspect that if someone
were to suggest that you FAST, IE; go a week without makeup, the best fashion, fake
nails, etc., you would be horrified. You likely wouldn’t want to leave your
home!
It is a
little more difficult to fast from riches, but according to a study I
completed, that would likely look like philanthropy. You would need to turn
your riches to do good. Good for the needs of the poor, to support churches,
causes like Teen Challenge, prison ministry or some other worthy cause. The
biggest trick here is: don’t blow your own horn about it, just do it in secret!
The reality
is, slowly but surely, like weeds, your vanity, or whatever your idolatry is
centered on, has started to grow in your spiritual garden. It is consuming your
heart for others, your love for God and your perspective on what is important
in life. It has slowly manipulated your thinking on good and bad, right and
wrong, and has turned what humility you possessed into egoism. It narrows your
vision in a way that keeps you from seeing the big picture, the love of God,
the lost souls of the world, your purpose, your service to God in this world. If
you aren’t sure if you do idolize something other than God, try to go without
it for a while. You don’t need to fast from food, you need to fast from your
obsessions in life, from your idolatry, and get back to God.
One more
thing: There is this book. It is pretty amazing so let me tell you about it. This
book is magical! It actually speaks to your heart and guides you if you let it!
It is ancient. It holds the power to do so many miraculous things such as break
chains, build love relationships, repair families, build communities, teach
right from wrong, and bring salvation and restoration. But the thing is, you
have study it to get anything from it. It is called the “Bible.”
