This past Sunday, our youth pastor, Blake Chilton, spoke on the text of 2 Timothy 2:22-26 ESV):

²²So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. ²³Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. ²⁴And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, ²⁵correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

One of the questions Blake asked was, “To where do you run after a bad day?” While he expounded on it with the follow-up question of “Is God not good enough to fulfill us after a bad day?” and made accompanying points, I tried to ponder to answer the question. It wasn’t until Monday that there answers began pouring in.

Monday is one of my busiest days at work, where I am having to prepare two days of invoices for distribution. In addition, I had numerous technical issues with the printer (which took up to 3 hours) as well as a meeting at 11 AM with an outside vendor. It had already begun to be a LONG day!

Now, usually, during a day like this, I begin thinking of what I can do after I get home to help myself unwind. Sometimes, it is a warm shower, a hot bath or just changing into my bed clothes and “vegging out” in front of the television to watch a sitcom or a recorded show or DVD.

Today, however, I suddenly remembered Blake’s question from yesterday, “To where do you run after a bad day?” While he was talking more about the tempting idols of consumerism, materialism, sex, and relationships, I also had to look at, maybe, even the physical, temporary comforts we use in an effort to self-therapy ourselves, like alcohol or “comfort” foods.

While many readers may think, “Hey, things like “comfort” food aren’t so bad,” I only contend that, whenever we as Christians run to ANYTHING, animate or inanimate, aside from God, we are in essence worshiping or idolizing that object.