Anything Can Be an Idol

I have worshiped a bag of chips.

I have also worshiped a bowl of yogurt with the right number of macros.

I have worshiped an hour of uninterrupted sleep. I have worshiped a number on the scale.  I have worshiped a number in my bank account. I have worshiped a pregnancy test, a tidy to-do list, a stocked pantry, a nicer vehicle, a certain number of social media followers, my reputation, positive book reviews, the way I look or didn’t look, perfect obedience from my kids, a certain home aesthetic. And on and on the list goes. I have a heart that loves to produce idols, and unfortunately, so do you.

In his book, Counterfeit Gods, Tim Keller writes, “Anything can be an idol, and everything has been an idol.”[1] As humans born with a bent towards sin, we’re churning out idols all the time. We were created to worship God, and thus, we must worship. It’s in our blood. It’s written into the DNA down in the marrow of our bones that we must worship. If the object of our worship is our Maker who sent his Son to redeem us from the snare of sin, then we will find ourselves satiated and joyful. True and right worship leads to true and right contentment. But because of that ordeal in the garden with the snake and Adam and Eve, the question of who—or, unfortunately, what—we’ll worship has been up for discussion and has turned our hearts away. Rather than worshiping God, we turn to anything else looking for satisfaction. Our hearts keep turning everyday things, people, and ideas into objects of worship. But they will never satisfy, and we will never be satisfied. Not by anything other than the one who made us and redeemed us. Our hearts won’t rest until they rest in him, as Augustine confessed.  

Recently, I had a heavy talk with my son about this very thing. Using another phrase from Keller, I told him, “If you’ll sin to get something or if you’ll sin to keep it, it’s most likely idol in your life.”[2] And in that way, anything can become an idol, even good things: food, drink, money, possessions, people, fame, a good reputation, beauty, youth, family, a spouse, children, marriage, goals, fitness, leisure, television, social media, health, the future. Anything can be an idol, and because nothing is new under the sun, everything has been an idol in all these generations of idol-chasing hearts.

But it is a chasing after the wind. Because nothing will satisfy like Jesus.

After I talked to my young son about sinning to have something, we prayed together, and his prayer stopped me cold. “Lord, I’m sorry for idoling stuff that doesn’t matter. I don’t want to idol other things anymore. I only want to idol You.” With a knot in my throat, I gently explained that it’s not idolatry when we follow Jesus with all our hearts. It’s true, right worship as God intended. It’s only an idol if it’s not God.

But his prayer stayed with me. In his youthful understanding of the word “idol” was a humility I have often lacked when I confess my own forms of idolatry to the Lord. “I’m sorry I spent too much money, Lord. I’ve got to get a handle on my Amazon spending!” I might chuckle in prayer. “I know I shouldn’t have been so focused on how I looked in those pants, Lord. I’m sorry about that,” I might sheepishly admit. “I know I shouldn’t hold my kids to a standard even I can’t reach, but they were really disrespectful today, Lord!” I might confess, mixing my apology with gaslighting.

The problem with idolatry is it’s often hard to call by name. It’s humiliating to say, “Lord, I worshiped my size six jeans today. I worshiped my kids’ good behavior. I bowed down to consumerism. I wanted it all more than I wanted you. It was sin, and I’m sorry.” Or as my son would put it, “I’m sorry I was idoling all that stuff.” It feels humiliating, but actually, it’s humility—which is something God delights in.

How do we recognize the little idols in our lives? Chances are you aren’t bowing down to little golden statues in your house. My personal litmus test has been the one I shared with my son: “If you’ll sin to get it, or if you’ll sin to keep it, it might be an idol in your life.”

Will you sin to see a number on the scale? Do you constantly think about food and calories and exercise and body image and how to look better to the point that you think little about God’s view of your body? You might be worshiping your appearance.

Will you sin to keep a certain amount of money in the bank? Do you work incessantly to build up wealth, do you give or tithe begrudgingly, do you trust your bank account more than the Lord’s provision? You might be worshiping money and self-sufficiency.

Will you sin to make sure your children are well-behaved? Do you resort to anger to produce good behavior, do you value the way your kids make you appear to others more than you value the state of their hearts, do you believe your children are a reflection of you and treat them accordingly if they make you look bad? You might be worshiping your pride as a parent.

Will you sin to make sure you can spend your time as you please? Do you avoid work, service, time with the Lord, time with your church, friends, or family in order to scroll for hours, binge-watch television, or play video games into the night? Do you live more of your life on a screen than in person? You might be worshipping leisure and entertainment.

The problem with idolatry is that it’s hard to detect if we’re not keeping watch on our souls. Good things like vacations and a healthy workout and having the money you need to support your family can eventually morph into things you think you can’t live without. If there’s something in your life you think you must have in order to be truly content, there might be an idol to confront and destroy. If there’s something in your life you will move to first position in your mind no matter the cost, there might be an idol to confront and destroy. If there’s something in your life you will hide, hoard, or hold on to when you know it’s wrong, you have an idol to confront and destroy.

Worshiping God requires no secrecy, shame, or sin. Set your affections on him instead. We can go without a lot of things in this life, but if we have Christ, contentment can still be ours. When our worship is focused on Christ, when His desires are first in our hearts, when He is the one we want wholeheartedly, then we’re exactly where we were created to be. The worship is true and right. And that’s where contentment and satisfaction really live.  

If there’s something in your life you think you must have in order to be truly content, there might be an idol to confront and destroy. Share on X

Photo by Mic Narra on Unsplash

[1] Timothy Keller. Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, Power, and the Only Hope that Matters (Penguin Group: New York, NY, 2009) xvi.

[2] I believe I heard Keller use this phrase in a sermon shared from Gospel in Life, but I cannot find the original source.