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I could give up coffee. Maybe.

I could give up Facebook.

I could give up all number of things, but that’s not where God has led me this Lenten season.

I’m joining the Love Idol Movement and giving up a love idol in my life. And I’m hoping it’s for more than just 40 days.

What is a love idol? My friend Jennifer, author of Love Idol {releasing April 1!} describes it as this…

Paul wrote to the Cornithians: “These three remain: faith, hope and love. And the greatest of these is love.” Yet we take God’s “greatest” and contort it into an idol. We twist our desire for approval into a false god.

So there it is: looking to something or someone other than God for love. For approval. For validation. That something or someone is a love idol.

Mine has been staring me in the face for too long, but I am just SO done with it being what makes or breaks my day. I almost hate to admit it here because my love idol actually has to do with all of you.

Preapproved Blog

I’ve been seeking approval, validation, recognition through the reach of this blog. How many pageviews have there been today? Who is commenting? Why aren’t they commenting? What if I pour my heart out and NOBODY CARES? And what if they do care? Does that matter more than what God has to say about me?!

There it is. Ugly. Vain. A brazen love idol.

Even confessing this now, here, on the first day of Lent, feels freeing, but I know God has led me to lay more down to rid this love idol from my life. And I have a feeling this love idol won’t go away easily, so these will be daily sacrifice:

1. Deleting the blog tracking apps from my phone – there is absolutely NO reason I need to check how many people have visited the blog or commented on the blog when I’m on the go or with my family.

2. Starting my day with God – I have a knee jerk reaction of grabbing my phone the very moment I wake up to see what’s happening in social media. This just sets me up for a day centered around the online world, and I want my whole world to revolve around Jesus. The tweets, posts, emails can wait until I’ve had time to put my heart, mind, soul where they need to be – in His presence.

3. Putting down the phone – This has been a work-in-progress for a while now. It started with boundaries during homeschool. And now I’m feeling the pull for even more. Reading Love Idol as well as Hands-Free Mama – that’s just a recipe for leaving my pursuit of approval in the wrong places behind!

I want to rid my heart of this love idol of numbers and recognition to make room for more of Him – His love, His will, His glory. In her book Holey, Wholly, Holy, Kris Camealy says, “Your life is not just about you – your life is about Christ in you – about the work He can do through you, when you yield to His will.” I’m done being about what I can do and jumping full into what HE can do through me.

PreApproved

Friends, He has pre-approved us. There is nothing we can do to make Him love us more and we don’t need to search for love anywhere else – His love is more enough.

I don’t wanna tell some arrogant story, or let myself believe I’m you. I don’t wanna be a thief who’s stealing your glory. Will you help remind me of what is true? The only hope I’ve got is you. ~Ellie Holcomb, “Only Hope I’ve Got”

I’m taking this Ash Wednesday to repent and reflect on the heart changes I desperately need. Join me? And find the hearts of many other women giving up their love idols poured out over at Jennifer’s blog today. You can add yours if you also feel led!