Vanity

"Turn my eyes away from vanities and direct them to your life-giving word." - Psalm 119:37

When I read this verse this morning, I was struck by it because it is such an important thing to ask for, yet I have never made this request to God before. I looked up the word vanity and it means an inflated concern with one self and one's appearance. How much do we do to puff up our appearances with things that will one day go to waste? I know people who have a room full of sneakers… and at the end of the day, for what? If you watch MTV and see celebrity homes with 23 bedrooms and 8 cars in the driveway, you have to ask yourself for what? Maybe the more we have, the better we feel about ourselves? But what will any of this do for us when we're old and near the end of our lives? What will any of this do for us when we die? What use is there in putting so much effort into acquiring these things that will decay while not working toward things that will last? This is why this verse is so important. Sometimes we can get caught up in the vanities of this world and not pay mind to the things of substance. We have to ask God to open our minds to see what we shouldn't be concerned with and what we truly need to pay attention to.

Today's Prayer:
God, as the psalmist said, please teach me to keep my eyes away from vanities. Take away pleasure from worldly things that bring me harm, and instead, please let me take pleasure in building up my soul. In Jesus' Name we pray, amen.