Pediatricians tell us that children thrive and feel safe when they have routines and structure to their day. Routines are good for us as adults as well. They keep us on track and organized. They give shape to our day and keep us from getting distracted. Indeed, routines are good. But routines can sometimes turn from a good thing to a not so good thing: when they become an idol of our heart.

From the moment we are born, our lives center around our daily routines. We rise with the sun and sleep when it sets. We work during the week and rest on the weekend. Our bellies are quick to tell us when we miss one of our thrice daily meals. We attend school during the fall, winter, and spring, and play all summer. We celebrate the same holidays year after year.

God created routines when he set the sun and moon in space. He organized our week by giving us a day of rest. He even provided the Israelites with yearly festivals, celebrations, and remembrances.

Pediatricians tell us that children thrive and feel safe when they have routines and structure to their day. Routines are good for us as adults as well. They keep us on track and organized. They give shape to our day and keep us from getting distracted. Indeed, routines are good. But routines can sometimes turn from a good thing to a not so good thing: when they become an idol of our heart.

A Routine Idol

John Calvin said our hearts are idol making factories. We are constantly looking for things to worship rather than God. Even the good things God has given us can be turned into an idol that we put in first place in our heart. As Tim Keller writes, “The greater the good, the more likely we are to expect that it can satisfy our deepest needs and hopes. Anything can serve as a counterfeit god, especially the very best things in life.” [1]

Some of us are so attached to and defined by our routines that we can’t stand when they are interrupted, changed, or tampered with in any way. That’s because of what our routines represent to us. Comfort. Ease. Control. Peace. When we trust in our routines and cling to them, we are relying on them to give us comfort. We are putting our hope in them to make our life smooth and carefree. We are seeking to find peace in something apart from Christ.

[1] Keller, Tim. Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters. (New York: Dutton, 2009) p. xvii.

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