False Idols and Little Higher Powers

I was talking with a friend a few years ago who was having some conflict in her relationship. She was describing the usual frustrations; dishes in the sink, scheduling issues, miscommunications. And then she paused and she said, “Ya know, there’s just a lot of little higher powers running around here lately.”

Now if you’ve ever been anywhere near a 12-step program of any kind you may know exactly what she meant. My friend was talking about how we can take something that’s not God, and make it our God. If you’ve ever done this on purpose or on accident you know how quickly it can take you down. Or rather, when I do this, my ship sinks fast.

Here are a few things I love to make into my Higher Power; my partner, my bills, my income, whether or not a friend calls me back, my body and how I think it looks that day, if there’s applause after a sermon, that guy in front of me in traffic, the guy behind me and next to me in traffic, the news, social media of any kind, and the list goes on and on.

When I say I make these things my Higher Power, I mean I turn my mood, attitude, feelings, decisions, will, and life over to them. Instead of just being grateful I even have a body I stand in judgement of how I look which then dictates my attitude about my worthiness which then affects how I move in the world.

Instead of just sending my friends love, I send them resentment and bitterness for not texting back on my preferred timeline and then poison my own mood for the day.

Instead of trusting that Spirit has handed me the exact right sermon to be of service to someone who needs to hear that shit today, I start analyzing what I said and honing in on a little belief that I’m really not a great preacher afterall.

You see? Lots of little higher powers running around not really sustaining me in any way.

I’ve written before about false idols - fear and cancel culture in particular - mostly because I need the constant reminder myself. There’s a great story in a little old book called Exodus about the dangers of false idols, and I think it’s still way more than relevant today.

All of those things and people I just listed (plus about 800 more in a given day) are terrible Higher Powers. They’re just not qualified for the job.

And what is the job of a Higher Power, of God, of Spirit? It’s compassion beyond measure, encouragement at all times, incomprehensible presence and awareness, love that binds all things together.

My Higher Power, Spirit, is an offering of pure joy and delight, unfuckwithable worthiness, kindness to all beings, and opportunities for deep service to this planet.

That guy in traffic? He’ll never be that. And the trick is to not ask him to be. But rather to connect with the source of life who loves you without condition or requirement and offer it out into the world. My seminary professor used to say, “It’s not that we do good to earn God’s love, it’s that God loves us first and we live our lives in response to that.”

Another way to put this is something I heard a lot down at the Baptist seminary when I was in school; “Remember who you are and Whose you are.”

In other words, you are a beloved child of God, with whom She is well pleased. And that’s the purest and simplest relationship you need with your Higher Power. Anything even on iota less than that is not a higher power.

So the next time you find yourself accidentally worshipping a false idol or some lesser higher power, just be amused. We human creatures are kind of like spiritual velcro and love to attach to things that we probably shouldn’t. It’s ok when it happens, but as soon as it does, just laugh a little and turn the eyes of your heart back towards the delighted, laughing, amused Spirit of God.

May you be blessed and connected to Her in all times and all places. Amen.