Might a House be an Idol?

Kelly Minter’s (2007) No Other Gods is challenging me to uncover my idols – my functional idols, people-gods, any kind of idols. My idols are not necessarily out in the open; it is not easy for me to identify my idols, though I know that I have them. During this season of change, a possible idol I am focusing on is our house. I am not certain this is the idol that God is asking me to focus on; I am processing. Because we are in limbo with our housing, it is a natural area of life for me to consider (or maybe even obsess over).

When we moved to Mount Vernon, Ohio seven years ago, I sensed a promise from the Lord. I believe He led us to spend conservatively on our home, and in return, He promised me contentment. I have never felt as comfortable in a house than at 4 N. Edgewood Road. It was not a perfect house, but it represented the fulfillment of God’s promise to me. From there, we moved to a larger home, in a neighborhood with sidewalks, on a cul-de-sac. It was a pretty house, but I never felt the same level of contentment as with the previous house. Now, we are trying to sell the second house….

Selling is coupled with buying in Nampa. When we buy, we have choices. Do we stretch our budget a bit? Do we buy conservatively? Do we buy with the short-term or the long-term in mind? I don’t want to move again for a long, long time!!!

Minter (2007) parallels giving up our idols with Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22: 1-18. She points out that Abraham did not withhold Isaac; Abraham freely offered Isaac. She says, there is a “difference between letting something go and making it an offering” (p. 116). In the Abraham and Isaac passage, God showed up. As a result, He is known as Jehovah-Jireh, or the Lord who provides. “Provision is part of His nature…. God brought huge blessings on Abraham as a result of his obedience” (p. 117).

As I consider Abraham, I am challenged by Minter (2007) to let go of my expectations; to freely offer my idols related to housing in this transition. In considering this, I am comforted by God’s response to Abraham: He provided for Abraham, and He blessed Abraham. I know this to be true from previous personal experiences, but it is still so un-natural for the human part of me. Lord, I believe; help my unbelief….