No Other God, Part II

To pick up from where I left off, I have long been thinking about things or people in my life that I have (without realizing it necessarily) equated with God.  A clue that I have done this is when I start to become too dependent on someone--when I have unrealistic expectations and am devastated when they are not met.  It happens when my happiness depends on where my relationship with that person stands at the moment.  

People disappoint.  Period.  The Lord spoke to me about this a couple of years ago, and after much wrestling (for some reason) I finally realized that He WANTS to be my everything, and for true joy to abide in my life, He MUST be my everything!  Jason is a wonderful man, but he cannot be my everything.  My parents are great people and I love them, but they too will disappoint me.  I would do anything for my kids, but they cannot be my everything.  On the reverse side, if I am ever in a position where someone is too dependent upon me, they too will be in for a rude awakening.  When you place someone you admire or love on a pedestal, think of the unfair pressure that you are placing upon them.  There is only One who will never disappoint--only One who can handle the pressure, and it is only when we realize that and place ourselves wholly in Him that we can find true joy.  When we place our hopes in others before the Lord, that is when we find disappointment, hurt and even a loss of faith at times.  But when our hopes are only in the Lord, then we can have joy even in the midst of pain and disappointment from our fellow humans.  

A great reminder for me is Psalm 73:25-26, "Whom have I in heaven but You?  And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.  My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."  He alone can fulfill our desires and hopes for contentment.  Let Him be your everything!