“Bad luck, come and get me!” says a smug and smiling Peter Brady, lounging in the Hawaiian Islands, with that taboo idol around his neck. Unfortunately for the plot of episode #73 and for one of our favorite fictional characters of the 70’s, Brady was not a worshipper of idols. Note that the key word in that sentence is “fictional.”
What good is an idol carved by man, or a cast image that deceives you?
How foolish to trust in your own creation—a god that can’t even talk!
What sorrow awaits you who say to wooden idols, ‘Wake up and save us!’
To speechless stone images you say,
‘Rise up and teach us!’ Can an idol tell you what to do?
They may be overlaid with gold and silver, but they are lifeless inside.
What do we worship that is lifeless inside? What do we exalt or crave?
A celebrity.
A gadget.
A fantasy.
A lifestyle.
A dream.
A status level.
Sports team.
Promotion.
Relationship.
Or an expectation for our children.
Perhaps for ourselves.
It is not that the above are without value. It is not that their pursuit or possession should be avoided. It is more that if such is what we worship, such is what we put our trust in, such is where we find our worth... sorrow awaits.
Thankfully, Peter had Mike, the valiant, ever-so-slightly-nerdy father, who bravely removed the terror-producing tarantula that crawled up Peter’s chest that night. Peter did not worship the idol, but after the predatory arachnid crept up his torso, he began to believe in the carved image’s fictional power.
What fictional item are you giving power to? Are you exalting? Craving?
Be careful of the sorrow that potentially awaits. P.S. I have a feeling that’s much more than a hunch.
AR
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1 comment:
Seems like "idol worship" is an archaic term in this century. and since it's archaic, we don't think it's relevant. It's more relevant than most of us would ever dream!
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