So I recently began reading the book of Jeremiah, you know, in the Bible? Yeah, I've never read it before. It's kind of depressing, actually. I think that maybe I've tried reading it before, but lost interest or something. I don't know. But for some reason, this time I get it. God is basically saying to His people: "Hey, did you forget about me? I'm the one who made you, I'm the one who blessed you, so why are you giving all your worship and praise to these cheap, man-made gods? I'm getting pretty sick of being ignored up here, and if you don't shape up, I'm ready to take away everything I've given you." So, that's a little harsh. It seems so dumb that these people would forget about God and start worshipping little pieces of wood and metal. But then, upon further reflection, I realize that maybe I'm not so unlike the people Jeremiah is talking to. No, I haven't been bowing down to little statues I carved out of logs or anything, but maybe I haven't been bowing down to the Real God either. I've heard it said that whatever you devote the most time and energy to is what you worship. Hmmm...that doesn't make things look so pretty for me. If I'm completely honest with myself, I spent the vast majority of my time and energy trying to make Brooke happy. Doing what I want to do, when I feel like doing it. Basically, worshipping myself. And when I'm not worrying about keeping me happy, I'm worrying about keeping other people happy. Primarily, until recently, Ryan. I'm not saying that I always did the best job at achieving the desired outcome, but a lot of my time and energy was focused on him. That in and of itself would not necessarily be a bad thing, except I know I spent more effort trying to please him than I did trying to please God. That is a bad thing. So as I'm reading the words Jeremiah spoke to these people thousands of years ago, I feel like he might as well have addressed them to me. Only I'm hoping to heed the message and repent before I am destroyed, unlike the initial recipients. One verse that really hit me is Jeremiah 10:23~"I know, O Lord, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps." This is something I've been learning first hand as of late. It's kind of comforting to know that people have been struggling with this truth for thousands of years. I mean, yeah, it would be nice if we could have figured that out a long time ago, but it's also nice to know I'm not alone in the way I'm feeling.