Last summer, I started really feeling the pull of different necessities. I was working at a summer camp and trying to plan where I was going to move once camp ended, concerned about my financial situation, interviewing for a job, and trying to remain focused on my work at camp.
One day while reading the Bible, I realized the absoluteness of the First Commandment: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20:3). Because it is labeled as a “commandment,” I know it is natural to think that we are ordered to “not have any other gods,” but on this particular morning, I read the commandment as a fact. I thought, “Oh, I won’t ever have any other gods before God.” It would be the same as if someone said, “You will not ride a unicorn today.” I guess you could interpret it as a command, but actually, it’s just a fact. And just like riding a unicorn is impossible, having another god is impossible—whether it’s financial stress or the burden of worry that seems more important than God. This is an idea I have returned to many times since this realization.
OTTAWA, ILLINOIS, US
