Sometimes introspection can be helpful. Last week I heard Mark Driscoll speak at the Engage conference. Driscoll (and before him, Tim Keller) posed this set of six questions to ask ourselves:
- What do you long for?
- Where do you go for comfort?
- What makes you angry with God?
- What do you make sacrifices for?
- Whose approval do you seek?
- What makes you happiest?
The crux of this personal questioning is this - if your answer to any of these questions is anything or anyone other than God, you are committing idolatry.
Interestingly, I came across a post in my feedreader this week offering another set of six questions we should ask ourselves. Zen Habits poses “Six questions to ask yourself to get the most out of life“. They are:
- Who do I love, and what am I doing about it?
- Am I pursuing my dream, or is fear stopping me?
- Am I doing something that matters?
- What am I doing to help others?
- Am I as good a person as I want to be?
- What am I doing to live life with passion, health and energy?
The author, Leo Babauta, expands on these points and you can read the full details here.
In one sense, these two sets of questions are similar. Both encourage us to look within. Both challenge us about who we are and how we are living.
Yet the key difference is stark.
The second list is about self. The people I love, my dreams, my efforts to help others, my passions and pursuits. It’s not that these things are wrong - it’s just that if our pursuit of these things is not established firstly in humble relationship with God and his love, dreams and passions, ours will be nothing more than idolatry.
This post is tagged cultural reflection, happiness, idolatry, Mark Driscoll
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