Early in my missionary career, I worked in Hawaii. I did what I wanted and where I wanted to do it. But another opportunity surfaced that led me to the backwoods of rural Virginia, where I did not want to go.
One day, looking out at Hawaii's blue Pacific Ocean, I sought the Lord's direction. He spoke to me from the Book of Jonah, and I knew which path to choose. After arriving in Virginia, when I would tell someone I had come there from Hawaii, they would glance at me incredulously and ask why. My only answer was that God had led me there, and God always knows best.
Vain idols always lie to us. They tell us we know better than God what is best for us. They cater to what we want, not what God wants.
The Garden of Eden episode is the most graphic example of vanity choosing our idols. The serpent told Adam and Eve that if they ate the forbidden fruit, their eyes would be opened, and they would be like God, knowing good and evil. False gods lie to us to get our worship. They promise things they cannot do. Adam and Eve would never be as wise as God.
Jonah warns all who are tempted to forsake the living God that if we do, we abandon God's mercy and love. The pathway from this departure from God is always through disobedience. Rebellion leads us to make gods of things that are not God. The great god that leads to the worshiping of all other gods is self-worship.
Don't be like Jonah. Don't think you know better than God. God's intentions are always for your highest good. Believe it, and you will see it. Obedience is always the indication of what you believe.
Ken Barnes has had a twenty-five year career in educational pursuits. He has taught in various public and private schools in Pennsylvania, Hawaii, and Virginia. He also worked for seventeen years with Youth With A Mission as a school leader, recruiter, and director. Ken holds a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is the author of The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places. He currently is a speaker, blogger, and freelance writer. Ken lives with his wife Sharon in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Visit Ken at https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/