Leave it to Beaver

​One of my favorite classic TV shows is “Leave it to Beaver”. This show displays a common theme throughout the show. Wally and/or the Beav cause some sort of trouble then here come Ward and June. They review what Wally and the Beav have done, come up with a solution and they forgive them. This show always ends on a happy note and Wally and the Beav are free to begin their next adventure.

While watching the show today I thought about how this show mirrors how God treats us in our lives. We get into trouble, God lets us know he doesn’t like our actions, he tells us he loves us and he forgives us over and over again. 

When thinking about getting into trouble, I can’t help but think about 1st and 2nd Kings. In these books the kings are doing wicked things, usually worshipping false idols. In 2nd Kings 17:17 it says, “They made their sons and their daughters pass through fire; they used divination and augury; and they sold themselves to do evil…”  This to me is the epitome of all evil. I could hardly believe that kings would offer their children as a sacrifice to their bogus gods. This is not just trouble but pure evil. 

Don’t get me wrong, there were some kings who did good in the sight of the Lord. They did worship him but they didn’t tear down the high places, the Baal statues or the Asherah poles. They were still hanging onto their false gods and so they continued to practice evil in God’s eyes. 

In the Bible, God despises idolatry. He detests it so much he makes it the primary commandment in Exodus 20, “You shall have no other God’s before me”.

Today we can get caught up in idolatry too. We worship things of this world instead of worshipping God. Things become very important to us. Cars, money, houses, we get more and more and we continue to want more and more. These things can bring us trouble and can break our relationship with God.

So what can we do to avoid idolatry? We can start by removing from our lives anything that takes us away from God. 

You can also bring your family to church and teach your kids that God is the most important person in their lives. 

Read scripture. It doesn’t have to be a lot, just a few pages a day will help to center you and bring you back to God. 

Give to others. This will help you to be relieved of the growing burden of the material world. Give others the chance to see God in your life and share your blessings. 

Put away the credit cards, things will not make you happy and they will pull you away from a loving relationship with God. Worshipping idols is not the way, God is.

Ask God for his forgiveness if you find yourself stuck in the world of idolatry. Try to strengthen your relationship with him. Start fresh, renew your spirit, confess your sins, and like “Leave it to Beaver” you will be forgiven, again and again. As the saying goes, “God is good, all the time”.

Dear God, help us to understand what is right in our lives. Help us to pull away from material things and center our lives on you. Amen

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