March 2026-Subtle Idols (Control)
You Got This!
British writer Norman Douglas once famously observed that you can tell the ideals of a nation by its advertisements. There’s a lot of truth in that when you think about it. The slogan above is from Adidas. You’ll find similar sounding slogans from any number of High Street shops. Take Burger King (Have it Your Way) and Argos (You’re Good to Go) for example. There’s a reason companies spend millions of pounds each year on market research. It pays to be an expert in human behaviour. We’re a lot more predictable than we care to think. We simply love feeling that we are in control of our lives.
Our phones trick us into thinking that we are all knowing. I remember the days of having to make my peace with the unsolved crossword as that pesky unknown capital city left me dumbfounded. Now I just let Alexa have 2 seconds to think and it's a puzzle solved. Our TV shows trick us into thinking that we need to be all powerful. Whether it’s Dragons Den or Bargain Hunt we laud the self-made man or woman. Our news screen trick us into believing that we should strive to be all present. Not only can we know what’s happening across the other side of the world but we now feel the pressure to have an opinion on it as well. It’s the perfect cultural cauldron in which to brew up control freaks.
The Bible tells us that the desire for control is as old as Genesis 3. God alone is the omnipotent (all powerful) omniscient (all knowing) and omnipresent (all present) one. These terms are meant to convey truths about Him not us. The heart of Adam & Eve’s garden rebellion, therefore, was nothing less that an attribute grab in which the creature creator distinction was muddied. Not only is it not good for us it’s also a weight we were never designed to carry.
Stop and Smell the Poses
Control is a slippery eel of an idol to spot. It’s probably because the Bible does encourage us to be wise planners and zealous workers. Too often that’s an easy mask to hide behind. Masters of our own destinies we certainly are not. In fact, when you stop and consider it, it’s quite incredible how much of what happens to us in life is completely outwith our control. Family dynamics. Health complications. Economic fluctuations. Global events. Relational tensions. However, we still yearn for that sense of being in complete control.
Every so often it rears its ugly head in the everyday postures of my life. My perfectionist tendencies. My overreaction to lateness. My desire to find quick fix solutions to some situations, refusing to accept that they might be more complex and require more time to settle than my thinking allows for. Instinctive reactions are always great idol revealers.
Even spiritually speaking, I theologically subscribe to Christ being the head of the church but I functionally behave as if I’m a strong supporting neck. Too often I’ve put my prayerlessness down to busyness when in actual fact its pure pride. I think I can do things on my own according to my timescale and abilities. It’s an attribute grab of the highest order one of which I need to repent of.
Fall at the Feet of the Creator
Jesus invites us to embrace a better and more human way. He is the one in whom all things hold together, not me. Consider the lilies. Perceive the behaviour of little children. Watch me calm the storm. Learn from my gentle and lowly heart. There is something wonderful about how Jesus holds up those people of mustard seed faith in the gospels. Those who declare Lord I believe, help my unbelief!
Sam Allberry once remarked that spiritual maturity is realising that you need Jesus more not less in life. There’s oodles of truth in that simple yet profound admission. The one who holds all things together is also the one is interceding for me at the Father’s right hand. All that means that today is another day when I can happily relinquish control to the most loving and powerful of Saviours.
