Last week I eyed my little seedlings sadly. I knew that I would have to thin them out in order for them to grow. That always makes me sad because it means choosing just one and ending the lives of the others.

I know they are just plants and they have no feelings and this is the way of life, but—for whatever reason—I always find this difficult.

But I knew that if any of them were going to have a chance at survival it had to be done. And so I grabbed by tiny yarn scissors and surveyed my seedlings. I picked the healthiest plant that resided closest to the center of the little jiffy pot and then either cut off or pulled the rest from around it.

If I would leave them there they would have all struggled together to get whatever water and nutrients were available and there’s only enough for one plant.

I will have to do the same thing when it’s time to garden outside. As anyone who gardens knows—we must thin our seedlings if we are going to grow healthy plants.

Perhaps this is something to remember for ourselves, as well. It is hard to have a productive, spiritually healthy life when we are trying to keep too many plates spinning in the air. We just don’t have the resources to do everything well.

I remember there was a point when I was a young mom that I had to acknowledge this. I was super involved at church, I was homeschooling my children, and I was doing all the bookwork for our landscaping company. I ended up doing nothing well and I finally had to admit that something had to go.

That was a really hard moment because I truly loved everything that I was doing and didn’t want to stop any of them. But, finally, I evaluated my priorities and I knew I had to cut something out.

My priorities had to be first my husband and my children and so I chose one or two things at church to stay involved in and I pulled out of the rest. I know now that this was the right thing to do; that that was just a short season (too short!) of my life and not a permanent way of living.

I can’t say I never got to that point again of trying to keep “too many plates spinning”, but I do recognize more quickly now the need to evaluate my priorities when life feels overwhelming.

Of course, there are some stages in life that are simply overwhelming, just by their very nature. In these times we find that our priorities outweigh our resources. And so we pray to the Lord for strength to get through because there are no changes that can be made. Thankfully, these times generally do not last forever.

Another piece of this, too, is that we can sometimes prioritize things that aren’t really priorities. That is a such a temptation for us all. Especially since the world tells us we can have it all.

But that’s simply not true.

We cannot have it all and we cannot do it all and something will truly suffer if we try to. It is important that we thoughtfully make choices about our time, rather than saying yes to every opportunity that comes along.

Paul gives us some counsel about this—

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15-16)

Walking “circumspectly” means to walk in a careful and prudent way; to walk in such a way that wisely considers the ramifications of our choices.

It is so very easy to just fall into a busy way of life. We believe this is right and good. But is it?

It’s probably also important to add here: Determining our priorities must be determined by God’s priorities. What are His priorities for us? This is where we must begin. This is not about what we want but what He wants; and it’s not about what will make us feel happy or “fulfilled” but it’s instead about doing our Father’s will. What does He call us to do with our time?

If we do not have time for prayer and Bible study, we are too busy and we need to carefully examine our priorities. It’s not easy but it can be done, both for God’s glory and for our own personal peace.

May we all choose to walk circumspectly as we pray for wisdom to choose what is the BEST among the many good things we choose from each day.

We all have idols. You. Me. Your friend at church. Your neighbor. Your parents. Your kids. All of us.

Most of the time we do not really think about this. I’d say a majority of the time we aren’t even aware of these idols.

But they change everything.

What is an idol?

The best definition of an idol for a believer is that it is something that takes the place of God in our hearts; it’s something that becomes more important than God to us.

There are many idols. Things we may have not ever considered as idols: Children, family, friends, personal health and fitness, education, reputation, science (so-called), love for the things of this world, popularity, money, pride, celebrities, professionals (therapists, counselors, life coaches, etc.)

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the importance of biblical interpretation. I mentioned I would write a second post as to why I believe people are being so loosey-goosey with their approach to scripture. I’ve been reflecting on this much over the past month or so. Before I even wrote the first post.

I think this is the answer: Idols.

Let me give a few examples—

—A parent says they believe in the historical interpretation of the Word of God and teaches their child this very thing. But this child grows up to choose a different lifestyle. A lifestyle that the Bible clearly deems as sinful. At this point, the parent has a choice to make. Will they continue to stand on their belief in the historical understanding of scripture or will they believe that all Christians throughout history got the whole thing all wrong and go with a “new”, liberal, twisted interpretation of these clear scriptural passages?

Many parents have decided to go with the thing that is less painful (i.e. it isn’t sin and it doesn’t matter) rather than to believe the truth as it is stated in God’s Word. With a little twisting here and there by a celebrity pastor or author, combined with the belief that there can be more than one interpretation and that none of us can really know, well, you can see where it can land you.

This person’s idol is their child. And they have clearly chosen which is most important to them in this scenario.

—Worldly Science declares a lot of things about this world. Things that go clearly against the Word of God. But to believe differently than what the world believes in this area is to be viewed as unintellectual and even stupid. And so many will try to combine the truth of God’s Word with what the world teaches. Or they will just believe what the world teaches, ignoring clear scriptures that say something completely different.

This person’s idol is science.

—A person wants to live like the world. They want to watch what the world watches; listen to what the world listens to; dress like the world dresses; and talk like the world talks. But, in order to do this, one must reject the traditional understanding of worldliness. And so this “you can interpret the Bible in any old way” comes in handy, yes? Suddenly, “remove obscene talk from your mouth” doesn’t mean foul language but it can mean something totally unrelated. Modesty can be talked around; filthy entertainment is “never spoken of” in scripture, etc etc. This person loves the world and wants what they want and will twist scripture in whatever way they want.

This person’s idol is the things of this world.

—A person is struggling to find their way in life. For whatever reason. Something has them upset and they decide to seek counsel. And so they find a “Christian” Counselor. This counselor, as most of them do, tries to marry modern psychology with the Bible by taking verses out of context and twisting scripture. But because these two things cannot be combined, as they are at complete odds with one another, this counselor leads them away from the Bible and towards worldly thinking. At this point, if the person stays with that counselor, they are idolizing their counselor or perhaps the wisdom of the world. They are, in essence, saying they believe this counselor and their worldly ideas will help them more than God’s Word.

This person’s idol is a professional.

There are so many more examples we could list. It seems there are as many idols as there are people.

But I guess what I’ve been mostly thinking about is this: What is MY idol?

I am not immune from this approach to scripture. What do I hold so dear that it colors my interpretation of scripture? What verses do I conveniently ignore because I don’t want to obey them.

What are the things that “ruffle my feathers” when they come up in a discussion about the Bible and what it teaches, simply because I am unwilling to relinquish my grip on it or to move towards change?

Mark Twain once said this: “It ain’t the parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it’s the parts that I do understand.”

I don’t believe Twain was a Christian, but he puts into words the plain old truth of the matter for us all, doesn’t he?

Because, at the end of the day, we can understand so much. But we don’t always like what we read in the Bible. And we certainly don’t always want to obey what it says.

And so to claim that interpretation is up for grabs and that the Bible can be interpreted any old way really works for us. It releases us from the obedience God calls for. Because we all get to decide what we need to obey. What you need to obey may not be what I need to obey.

It sounds so silly. And that’s because it is. And yet this is the “intellectual” thinking that is out there. Man thinks he can determine what is true for HIM. There are no absolutes.

We saw this kind of thinking coming years ago—no absolute truth— and now this has even weaved its way into the way church-goers think—even those who would consider themselves “evangelical Christians”.

Idols blind us so fully that we can’t even see that we have relinquished the absolute truth of scripture so that we can keep our hold on our precious idol.

I believe the first step to change is prayer. Let’s pray that God will show us what we are idolizing over and above Him and His Word. Let’s pray for humility and a willingness to SEE. Yes, it’s a painful process but spiritual growth often is painful. May we not let that stop us.

Oh, that we may cast aside our idols and believe scripture for what it simply says.

No, this is NOT easy to do. But it is So VERY CRITICAL. It always has been but perhaps never more so than in the midst of this confusing, chaotic “Christianity” we find ourselves living in.

I grew up in the era of The Waltons. And, in fact, ended up living near the real “Walton’s Mountain” in Virginia for a short period of my life as Earl Hamner, the creator of the show, was from a town near where we lived. His series about his growing up years that took place there in the 1930s was quite popular back in the 70s. The Waltons was viewed as a wholesome show the whole family could watch together. And I guess, overall, it was that.

Last night I came into our bedroom to find my husband watching an old episode of The Waltons to wind down a bit before sleeping. On the TV was Grandma helping her grandson, John Boy, learn how to preach. He had been asked to fill in for the preacher and was quite nervous about it. Grandma was pounding her fist and taking the hellfire and brimstone passages and speaking them in a loud, angry voice. Of course, you can imagine how Hollywood handled that. And you would be right.

In the next scene, John Boy is on a mountain and his Grandpa comes up to him and starts talking about how Grandma has her own style of religion but he worships God in “his own fashion”. He and God have an “understanding.” As he continued to talk about his god, it was quite easy to tell he wasn’t talking about the One True God of the Bible. He not only worshipped in his own fashion but he worshiped a god he had fashioned on his own.

In the final scene we watched, we find John Boy in his room at his desk, surrounded by several big books, presumably commentaries. He is frustrated about this sermon he is supposed to preach. His father walks in and gives him counsel: “Just stop listening to everyone around you and put those books away and look inside you. What do you want?”

As we turned it off, John Boy was listening to his father and doing just that.

I found that fifteen minutes rather fascinating. For it was a foretelling of what most professing Christians would believe fifty years later.

Most professing Christians ignore or even despise sermons that speak the plain truth of the Word—particularly the unpleasant truths, such as sin and hell (like they ignored/wrote off Grandma Walton).

They fashion an idol of their own making that suits their own desires and call it “God” (like Grandpa Walton shared). But this isn’t God. The Bible is either true or it isn’t. And if the Bible is true, then God has quite a bit to say about Himself and we’d better pay attention.

And most professing Christians these days—even preachers— look in their own hearts for ideas and to other men for counsel without any consideration for what the Bible has to say at all (like John Boy).

Fifty-plus years ago, Hollywood was already spewing out garbage about God and His Word. And we ignored it. We rationalized it away. We just thought it was a nice show “except for…”.

If we look back, we can see this dynamic with a number of TV shows. They very deliberately shift the beliefs and morality of the culture.

The Waltons normalized not only a wrong view of the Word but also normalized women as the spiritual leaders of the household instead of men; The Cosby Show normalized career-oriented moms (purporting the lie that you can have it all and nothing will suffer); Three’s Company normalized adults living together outside of marriage and opened the door for homosexuality; Murphy Brown normalized babies out of wedlock; Love Boat normalized infidelity; Star Wars normalized new age philosophy, and Lord of the Rings, Narnia, and Harry Potter normalized witchcraft and sorcery.

There are so many other examples. All these years later, these things aren’t only accepted by the world, many of them are even accepted by many Christians.

It’s actually pretty amazing how Hollywood has wormed its way into our homes and minds through that box that sits in our family rooms.

I am not saying don’t watch TV. That’s between you and the Lord. I still watch some. But perhaps we need to pay closer attention to what is being suggested to our brains through this medium. We like to turn off our brains when we watch TV but I am realizing more and more that we just can’t do this. Entertainment (even if it’s labeled “Christian”) is never just entertainment and we need to be vigilant and watchful, understanding that entertainment is one of Satan’s greatest tools in shifting a culture a specific direction.

I was planning to write the sequel to last week’s post this week, but I’ll try to do that next week. This was fresh in my mind and seemed more important for this week.

Oh, that we may remember that we have an enemy that seeks to devour us and he will use all methods and means to do so. Let us be sober and vigilant…even when—perhaps especially when—we are watching TV.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. (I Peter 5:8)

I was looking up another passage this morning when a couple of other verses caught my eye. The verses were in Ephesians six, where Paul talks to servants about how they should treat their earthly masters (vs. 5-8). As I read it, I thought about how much more so this should describe our service for God. Paul also gives similar encouragement to his readers at the end of Colossians, chapter three (vs. 22-24).

You will note the verses above are from this third chapter of Colossians. I remember coming across these verses as a young woman and they have had a profound impact on me as I’ve struggled through apathy, discouragement, and disappointment through the years. They remind me that it matters how I do the work that God has given me to do—whether it be at home, here on the blog, or in the landscaping company that we own. Our attitudes, our work ethic, our motives…they matter to God. They also remind me that I am God’s servant and it is His pleasure I seek.

Do you, like me, sometimes get caught up in pleasing people rather than in pleasing God?

It is so wonderful when we can do both—please God while we please people. That’s why being loving and nice is such an easy thing to do—it makes everyone happy. God and people love when we do nice things to others. That’s an easy way to please our Heavenly Father.

But if we want to follow God and His Word with our whole hearts, then we realize that sometimes pleasing our Heavenly Father won’t always feel so good. And it certainly won’t always make others happy.

We have to do hard things and stand up for unpopular truths. We have to speak light to people who love darkness. We have to do something that we know is right when the people around us do not understand.

It is in these moments that we must remember that it is God we are seeking to please. If we can remember this (these verses are a good reminder!) then we will be much more apt to do what is right, whether we please others or we don’t.

The interesting component to this whole conversation is that when we are pleasing people, we are often doing it for selfish reasons. We don’t speak the truth in love to someone because we just don’t want the hassle. And we don’t want to be labeled a troublemaker. We go somewhere we shouldn’t go or do something we know is wrong because we don’t want the ridicule and antagonism. We go along with the crowd because…well, it’s just easier.

Oh, that we may all grow in this area of pleasing God over pleasing others and over pleasing self. We will never do this perfectly but we are, hopefully, growing just a bit more in this area with each passing year.

I am not sure how long ago I met my dear friend, Lisa. I remember hearing about this recovering drug addict that was attending my church but I never really had opportunity to talk with her. And then one year, she began to attend the Bible Study I held in my home. She came with another friend from our church. And thus began a wonderful friendship.

It seems quite fitting that I share Lisa’s story this week, as on Saturday it will be ten years since she repented of her sins and turned to Christ as her Savior. It has been awesome to watch her grow and change. Her thirst for biblical truth is a wonderful example for any believer who comes in contact with her. She loves the Word and wants to live by it.

We come from two totally different backgrounds and, yet, in the Lord, we have become the dearest of friends. She reminds me of the reality of all that I write and talk about in regards to scripture. She brings a fresh joy and vibrancy to our Bible Study, especially for those of us who grew up in Christian homes and never experienced a radical life change. God really DOES change lives. And, sometimes, in a radical way!

I know that there are some of you out there who have children who are caught up in drug addiction. You feel so hopeless, like things will never change. I hope that this shines just a bit of light into the darkness you are experiencing. Truly, with God, nothing is impossible. As Lisa shows so clearly with her testimony. SO without further ado, here is Lisa’s testimony, a testimony she has had the opportunity to share with recovering addicts on many occasions. May God be praised!

I was born in Williamsport, PA, held by my birth mother, then my birth father, and immediately taken away to be put into the system of adoption. I wasn’t adopted until I was almost two because I was born with a rash all over my body and poor motor skills which was a concern for those searching for their perfect baby. But God knew and He gave me a very loving, caring parents who thought I could do no wrong. Something I realize now was not so good. Although their unconditional love did show me what it felt like to be loved so very very deeply. This now, in turn, helps me understand God’s love for me.

Growing up as a child was happy. Playing outside with my brother and the five boys next door until supper time and going to the pool every beautiful summer day with my mom all seemed perfect. But as far as church, I only recall Easter bonnets and candle lighting at Christmas. My parents never really talked about God or explained anything about Him. My dad was a Mason and my mom involved in the Easter Star, so only now do I realize why.

In junior high I met a friend and every day after school we went to her house where her parents smoked. We, thinking we were cool, went into their ashtrays and lighted the leftover cigarettes, which gave me a little buzz. This was the beginning of my interest for a bigger high leading to my path into drug use.

I was a drug addict for 38 long years. I started with weed and hash which led me to cocaine, then meth, and any pills I could find. I drank to get drunk for years, I smoked crack for some of the later years. At one point my gas stove was my source of heat during the cold winter months. With drug use comes the total dishonoring of my body. The choice of men left me used and abused often. My nose has been broken, my wrist fractured, I’ve been spit on, and shoved, and used way too many times for me to even want to remember. It was so dark and I was so sad that I hung by head so low that I needed a back brace to hold my shoulders back to try to pull my head up.

I remember actually praying to God to change me–help me! How long was this going to continue? But if this was God reaching for me, I was too deep into addiction to recognize it. I turned my back and fell even deeper. On two occasions, I mixed two lethal drugs together, almost dying. I was found naked in a fetal position in the corner of my house. Once driving, I was fading in and out. I opened my eyes in the middle of a 360, veering off the road, and stopping within inches of a tree. God had plans for me.

I’ve been in handcuffs countless times and finally sentenced to six months in jail for “intent to deliver”, which makes me a felon forever. I went to church in there, promising if I got through this, I was done. I feel it was God reaching for me, never giving up, trying again and again. Yet within one week of my release, I turned away from His open arms and back into my wayward wants into the dark world of addiction yet again.

Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, I held my dad as he took his last breath of life. For the next year, I slipped further and further into addiction and depression. I continued with many pills and found my way to other unspeakable methods of getting high, staying up for days on end until finally, I overdosed! My nephew found me with no other option than to call 911. I do not remember the paramedics slicing up through my clothing to paddle me to bring be back, nor do I remember the ride to the hospital. The first thing I do remember is coming to and the nurses asking me my birth date and name. I had no answer because I had no idea who I was. This was it: I had hit bottom. Yet God was not done with me, He had plans for me!!

I went home and knew I wanted no more of this life. I had called for rehab but the upfront costs of $42,000 just wasn’t doable for me because I wasted $40,000 of the money my father had left me. I thought to myself, I cannot do this on my own. I am going to ask God, the only One I somehow knew could help me.

I had a friend who I worked with who attended a local Bible church. About a year earlier, I let him talk me into attending, but at that point, I wasn’t ready. I went back to him and told him I’m ready to change my path in life. I said I would try this church thing. So one particular Sunday I went and let me tell you, I cried and cried, feeling as if the pastor was talking directly to me. The songs, as well, were relating directly to my life and I was like, wow, what is happening??

The next two weeks my friend would text me, checking on me, asking if I was saved. Oh yes, I believe in God, for sure! He said, no, are you saved? Oh, yes, I was baptized as a baby, I have a picture if you’d like to see it! No, he said again, are you SAVED? I said, well, then no, because I have no idea what you are talking about!

The very next Sunday, at the end of the sermon, the pastor asked for anyone who wanted to accept Jesus as their Savior to come up to the front of the sanctuary, but I was too afraid. So afterwards, I went to him and said I wasn’t saved and needed to talk to him. That very same day, January 25, 2015, I went to his office along with his wife and accepted Christ as my Savior. The following Sunday the pastor said if anyone is sure and confident of their choice, they should come up front and I’m thinking, “hmmmm?” Since he preached about hell that day, I just about ran up front and proved to myself and the public that I meant business.

It hasn’t been easy, I relapsed twice during the next four months but I continued to come to church and plug myself into any Bible study and prayer meetings available. The congregation caught wind of my story and began embracing and encouraging me, as well. God was not going to let go of me this time because now the Holy Spirit was living in me. I didn’t completely understand what that meant, but I knew I was different. I quit swearing and smoking, something I never thought possible.

But with God ALL things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

I have since been baptized, telling my story to over 300 people. It has been, and continues to be, almost unreal at times. God has pulled back my shoulders and lifted my head up as I continue to seek Him. I no longer need that back brace anymore. He continues to perform miracles in my life. I trust the Lord with all my heart. I do not lean on my own understanding. I acknowledge Him in all I do. And He has made straight my paths. (Proverbs 3:4-6).

(Find the rest of the inspiring Changed Lives series here.)