When you hear the word “idol” what is the first thing you think of? If you’re like me, you think of something like a statue. Something that is big and beautiful, and is something that one may bow down to or worship.

But an idol can be so many other things.

The term idol is defined as an image or representation of a god that is used as an object of worship. One day I realized that an idol does not technically have to be a physical thing that you “worship,” and it doesn’t even have to be something bad. It can simply be something that hinders you from being all that God has called you to be, or something that takes your focus away from your Heavenly Father. Everyone may have different idols, such as relationships, friendships, alcohol, music or even food. The one thing that they have in common is that they are an attempt to fill a void that can only truly be filled with Christ.

Let’s discuss a story that’s about a woman in the Bible who had been bleeding for 12 years.

Mark 5:24-33

Imagine suffering with something for 12 years…that’s 4,380 days and 105,120 hours of suffering. The woman probably felt very lonely and discouraged. She probably felt like she had no self-worth and that no one could love her. Think about the things that might have made you feel that way. Whether it be relationships and break-ups, broken families, abuse or simply a lack of confidence, none of us would want to feel that pain for 12 years.

Her first thought was to spend everything she had to try to get better. She searched for healing and comfort in every area that she could think of, and the Bible says, “Yet instead of getting better she grew worse.”

Where do we seek our comfort and happiness? What are our idols that we use to try to fill a certain void? I know from experience that just about every outlet I tried didn’t work, and even made things worse.

The bleeding woman finally found her solution. When she decided to reach out and touch Jesus’ cloak, she was healed instantly. Mark 5:29 says that her bleeding stopped immediately and she felt in her body that she was free from her suffering. This story blows my mind! That woman searched and searched for 12 years to try to find a solution to her problem, but not only did her health not improve, it got worse. The minute that she took the initiative to reach out to Jesus, she was healed!

I feel as though we have this idea that we have to handle our situations on our own, and maybe our situation is too big for Jesus to handle or so bad that he wouldn’t want to deal with it. Jesus wants to deal with all of our junk. There isn’t anything that we deal with or do that is too big or too bad for Jesus. He calls us His children and all He wants us to do is reach our hands out to Him, because He is there waiting with open arms.

After trying to fix my own problems for so long, I realized that I was similar to the bleeding woman. I was suffering and I wanted help but I was looking for it in all the wrong places. Although they weren’t necessarily “bad,” I had all these different idols that took my focus away from Christ. The minute that I decided to turn from those idols and reach out to Christ, I was freed from my suffering. Jesus was there ready to welcome me with open arms.