Soul Souvenirs

"If we insist on keeping Hell (or even earth) we shall not see Heaven: if we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell."
— C.S. Lewis (The Great Divorce)

In an age of relevance and political correctness, people are looking for an easier road to God. In my last blog, The Case of the Jealous Lover, I exposed a side of God’s nature that tends to be overlooked—His jealousy. The truth is, God is a jealous God who demands singleness of heart towards Him, obedience, holy living, and death to self.

The Apostolic awakening that is needed today is not going to happen until we adjust our lifestyle and return to our jealous Lover. True revival will evade us unless we give up our worldly affections. Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” Yet so many Christians have accrued affections that turn their hearts away from God.

Before returning to Bethel (which means, “house of God”), Jacob told his family, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments.” (Genesis 35:2). What many people fail to realize is that idols and gods are not mere objects, but affections of the heart.

I wondered how all these idols got into Jacob’s house. Then I read Genesis 31:19, “…Rachel had stolen the household idols that were her father’s”. It all started with some items that Rachel couldn’t live without, some small attachments. The bible doesn’t say where she stashed them, but something in Rachel felt she needed them. Perhaps she saw herself in those little images. Regardless of why she kept them, Rachel’s little idols, little souvenirs, opened the door to other ungodly lifestyle changes. It started as just a few objects of affection, but over time it affected the entire family and delayed the purposes of God.  

The apostle Paul said, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God…” (2 Cor. 5:17-18a). However, many believers still hold on to little souvenirs from their past. It could be an old girlfriend, boyfriend, or someone who was interested in you. Perhaps you think “What if…”, and you imagine what life might be like with that person today. “What if we stayed together?” “What if I hadn’t moved away?”

These are the idols we don’t talk much about. It’s easier to throw out some bad DVD’s or install Internet blockers, then to remove the idols in the heart.

Your soul souvenirs may be more like trophies, thoughts of reliving your “glory days” at an old company, school or stage in your life. Pentecostals have their church souvenirs and trophies too. Sometimes we enshrine an experience we had at youth camp or during a revival. And whenever we go through a dry spell, we reach back for a sip instead of digging new wells. Even “holy” trophies are still trophies. This doesn’t mean we forget what God has done, but we cannot let memories rob us of fresh experiences.

Perhaps your souvenirs are all the “fun” things you did before you got saved, or during that season away from Church. Christians rarely admit that they still “love” or have a “warm spot” for certain things in the world. We’re afraid to admit that we have some trinkets, some experiences, or guilty pleasures that still captivate us. Soul souvenirs are not simply shiny things you buy in a gift shop, but they are the things you collect in your heart, the places you’ve been in life. They evoke emotion and command attention.

Paul said, “Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Cor. 10:5). Secret souvenirs of the heart are not just memories, per se, but those untouchable thoughts that gradually pull your devotion and steal your worship. They seem insignificant, harmless or even playful. But, the enemy uses little things to establish a pattern of access into our lives. If David allowed the lion or bear to take just one sheep, his resistance would have been weakened. When Goliath came against him, he already had a proven track record.

The issue behind soul souvenirs (or idolatry) is not “stuff”, but “self”. The whole reason man invented idols was to become his own god. Theoretically, only gods can “make” gods. Man creates a god in his own image and likeness. This means that our “idols”—things, people, thoughts we worship other or more than God—are mere reflections of who we are.

Historically, man’s greatest love affair has been with himself. No wonder Paul said, “I die daily.” Because no matter how many times you kill or remove the idol you’re struggling with, you can’t overcome it until it’s uprooted from your heart. If not, all you’re doing is taking a vacation from it. Every souvenir of the soul must melt on an altar of repentance and a burning desire for God.