Sandra Heska King

daring to open doors

  • Home
  • About
  • DISCLOSURES
    • Amazon Affiliate
    • Book Reviews
  • Published
  • Contact
  • Blog
    • Commit Poetry
    • Dared

Monday Meditation: My Biggest Idol

May 23, 2011 By Sandra Heska King

It entices me off the path, and I plunge through wet overgrowth for a closer look.

Is this a good flower or a bad flower?

All I know is that it’s pretty.

Demands a close-up.

You can’t always tell the inside by the outside.

And the allure of the pretty can be dangerous.

Solomon found that out.

King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done. ~2 Kings 11:1-6 (NIV)

The allure of the pretty sliced Solomon’s heart.

Divided it.

And cost him the kingdom.

Maybe he originated the Irish toast, “Here’s to our wives and sweethearts. May they never meet.”

Pastor Bill reminded us yesterday that we are the bride of Christ.

The one who redeemed us and loves us with an everlasting love.

That we enter into a covenant relationship where we are to cleave only to Him.

And yet we have a tendency to run after other lovers.

To follow the allure of the pretty.

To commit spiritual adultery.

To  set up our own idols.

To worship the pretty instead of the Creator of the pretty.

The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being. ~Matthew 6:21 (Message)

And we plunge off the path.

********************

I’ve been grumpy.

I don’t know why.

But I don’t like it.

Except maybe I do.

Maybe I get some reward from it.

I remember complaining about something almost 30 years ago to a pastor friend.

I don’t remember what it was, but I still remember his response.

“You must like it. Otherwise you wouldn’t do it.”

Zing!

Ouch!

I hate that those words still hang in my head.

Because it turns it all back on me.

My sweetest sweetheart.

My biggest idol.

It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. ~Deuteronomy 13:4 (NIV)

Share this:

  • Email
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

Filed Under: stories and reflections

Comments

  1. Cecilia Marie Pulliam says

    May 23, 2011 at 4:33 pm

    So true. I used to think ill of the Israelites for grumbing before God, chasing after idols and not listening to God. Then one day I realized I did the very same thing.

    The picture is stunning, and your analogy perfect.

    • Sandra says

      May 25, 2011 at 9:10 pm

      And how many times have I run around the same mountain! Sigh.

  2. Amy Sullivan says

    May 23, 2011 at 6:02 pm

    Sandy,
    Well, this one stings doesn’t it? We all do things for a reason, and I wonder what I get out of some of the things I do.

    Thanks for reflecting and being vulnerable.

    • Sandra says

      May 25, 2011 at 9:13 pm

      I think I heard somewhere that a child gets some kind of reward out of bad behavior. So now I have to figure out what I’m really seeking when I’m grumpy.

  3. S. Etole says

    May 23, 2011 at 6:58 pm

    Ouch! is right … and so true.

    • Sandra says

      May 25, 2011 at 9:13 pm

      Sigh . . .

  4. laura says

    May 23, 2011 at 8:57 pm

    Yes, that does hurt the toes a bit! It’s funny that–you can’t tell the inside from looking at the outside. Only One can see all the way inside. Don’t you love how He works in the deepest places?

    • Sandra says

      May 25, 2011 at 9:15 pm

      But oh how sometimes I dislike what He digs up.

  5. Glenda Childers says

    May 23, 2011 at 9:52 pm

    Very thought provoking . . . calling yourself your sweetest sweetheart. Wow . . . I think it is true of me too. I serve a lot of people, but I look well after myself, too.

    fondly,
    Glenda

    • Sandra says

      May 25, 2011 at 9:18 pm

      We do need to take care of ourselves in order to care for others. That’s not serving self. But–and I’m thinking out loud–who are we serving when we run ourselves down serving others? And what is our reward in that? Wheels turning . . .

  6. jasonS says

    May 24, 2011 at 2:29 pm

    I love/hate those simple encounters that have such a lasting and profound impact on us. That’s a good word and so true. Part of us must like it to keep doing it. That’s why we need His character and life formed in us deeper and deeper. Thanks Sandra.

    • Sandra says

      May 25, 2011 at 9:24 pm

      We’ve been studying the neuroscience of the brain in Bible study–as part of our study on Colossians and reprogramming our minds. It appears that God physically designed us to enable us to rewire the our brain pathways so He can transform our thinking and behavior. I’m going to have to blog on it. 🙂

  7. Michelle DeRusha says

    May 25, 2011 at 8:57 pm

    Oh you are speaking right at me with that comment about grumpiness…and liking it. Yes, I think I make complaining my idol more often than I’d like to admit. Gosh I have a lot of idols…never thought of complaining as one before, until you and your pastor friend from 30 years ago brought it to my attention here.

    Thanks for opening my eyes (always, Sandra). And that Columbine blossom is a beauty!

    • Sandra says

      May 25, 2011 at 9:26 pm

      GASP! Really? A columbine? It was just hanging out along a path in our cemetery. I didn’t even know we had columbines in Michigan. I’m so excited!

  8. Bradley J. Moore says

    May 26, 2011 at 5:22 am

    “Ouch!” is right… That is a real zinger. This whole post is.

    I read about Solomon and think, “what a swinger. How could that be the same guy who wrote God’s word? An integral player in the Kingdom?” It does not compute. Imagine that today. Preaching on Sunday and running off to my girl collection on Monday. Weird, weird, weird stuff in the bible! But it got the best of him, and that is the lesson. God had something better for him than that.

    Thanks for your words and reflective heart, Oh Deep See Diver!

  9. Carol J. Garvin says

    May 26, 2011 at 10:38 pm

    Love your photo of the wild columbine (and yes, that’s what it is), and I think you were safe going off the path this time since God allowed you to discover something of beauty that He created.

    When it comes to being grouchy, I don’t think we like being that way so much as our hormones sometimes force it on us. Giving voice to it by complaining, on the other hand, is a voluntary action, and so hard to resist. We surely do need to “hold fast to Him.”

    I love your comment that suggests we need to worship the Creator of the pretty rather than the pretty itself. I don’t know why, but it reminds me of how we’re admonished to hate the sin, not the sinner. 🙂

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Meet Sandra

I’m Sandra, a camera-toting, recovering doer who’s learning to be. still. Read more…

Get updates from the stillness by email

Your personal information is safe and will never be shared.

Archives

Categories

Instagram Inspiration

sandraheskaking

Happy first day of fall from my backyard to yours. Happy first day of fall from my backyard to yours.
Just another backyard photo… Just another backyard photo…
From my backyard tonight. From my backyard tonight.
Just another sunset. Just another sunset.
“I would like people to remember of me, how inex “I would like people to remember of me, how inexhaustible was her mindfulness.” ~ Mary Oliver in “ A Little Ado About This and That.”
Current situation. Current situation.
“This spark of life that wavest wings of gold” “This spark of life that wavest wings of gold” ~ Thomas Wentworth Higginson in “Ode to a Butterfly”
🦋
We pulled all the milkweed because it just could not support all the caterpillars. They were eating it bare and most of them died because they ran out of food. This one butterfly found this one lone volunteer.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright futur "I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority." ~ E.B. White (as quoted on today's page in my Franklin Planner)
"May you experience each day as a sacred gift wove "May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder." ~ John O'Donohue in "For Presence" from To Bless the Space Between Us
🌴
Tri-colored heron stalking breakfast in my backyard.
“. . neighbor’s tree hangs heavy with mangoes “. .  neighbor’s tree hangs heavy with mangoes. They are moving in a week. They say a family from Belarus bought the house. I hope they don’t care much for mangoes.”
**
“Beautiful Sweet Things” at https://sandraheskaking.substack.com/
"People do not grow old. When they cease to grow t "People do not grow old. When they cease to grow they become old.” ~ Emerson

It's been a while since I've written anything on my blog. Like 3 years. But I just wrote my first post on Substack. Come see?

https://sandraheskaking.substack.com/p/ten-years-ten-things
Spent a couple hours this morning with friends fro Spent a couple hours this morning with friends from @spanishriverchurch picking up beach trash. Little bits of colored and clear plastic, big bits of plastic, bottle caps, broken glass, strings, ropes, straws, socks, fast food containers, paper, cigarette holders and filters—and a couple unmentionables. Took extra care around the turtle nests. Last count was about 70 pounds, but there were also some bigger things like an abandoned chair and a plastic tent. And a big piece of burlap or something with a fishing lure and giant hook attached. D found a Macy’s gift card that he almost tossed in his bucket. But we brought it home to check the balance—$24.60! We should be able to turn that into something useful for someone. 😊
H Already dead, I am living my afterlife here in t H
Already dead, I am
living my afterlife
here
in the form of a human.
~ Xueyan from Time Peels All to Original White

Thanks to @tspoetry for introducing me to this beautiful collection via an Every Day Poems selection.
The cats attacked the window all night. The dog wo The cats attacked the window all night. The dog woofed all night. This morning we discovered the would-be burglar imprisoned between the screen and the glass on our bedroom slider. 

When I stepped out to release it (no bail), I was surprised by this brief bit of backyard beauty.
For most of us, knowledge of our world comes large For most of us, knowledge of our world comes largely through sight, yet we look about with such unseeing eyes that we are partially blind. One way to open your eyes to unnoticed beauty is to ask yourself, "What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?" ~ Rachel Carson in The Sense of Wonder
#prayformsu #spartanstrong #spartannurse #michigan #prayformsu #spartanstrong #spartannurse #michiganstateuniversity
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faith Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. ~ Psalm 136:1
A tale of two iguanas... I did not see the iguana A tale of two iguanas... I did not see the iguana in the background until I downloaded the photos. That, I believe, is the one that got caught in one of the openings in the neighbor's chain link fence. We tried in several (safe) ways to dislodge it without luck and could think of no other option but to leave it. Somehow it apparently dislodged itself. We also believe this is the pair that was getting into another neighbor's garden. We haven't seen either one since the last cold snap, so we are wondering if they survived. 
🌱
Thinking some may have tumbled from their perches last night. Pretty sure it will be raining iguanas tonight since we are under a frost advisory. It's cold. And windy.
Just sing... sing a song... Singing our way into Just sing... sing a song... 

Singing our way into the weekend.
"We don't just see. We learn to see." ~ Russ Ramse "We don't just see. We learn to see." ~ Russ Ramsey in Rembrandt is in the Wind
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Get the Mug

Embrace the life you have t s poetry mug

Privacy Policy

Full privacy policy is available HERE.

I Read Light

TSP-Red button

bibledude-net



Sponsor a Child

Join the Compassion Blogger Network

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2023 Sandra Heska King · Site by The Willingham Enterprise, LLC on the Genesis Framework by StudioPress · Log in