They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. (Ps. 115:5)

GROWING UP IN A HOME that followed some of the Chinese cultural norms, I was instructed to pay homage to Buddha. The smell of incense being offered as a fragrant offering to Buddha filled the apartment where we lived. When I was a child, I was told that Buddha would take care of me. I was so into worshiping him that I went and bought myself a small wood carving of Buddha, attached it to a string, and hung it around my neck. As Linus in the Peanuts comic strip had his security blanket to hold on to, I now had my Buddha necklace. My classmates began to joke about “Jim and his fat Buddha.”

When I needed help I would take “Buddha” out from under my shirt and rub his stomach. The greater the need the more ferociously I rubbed. However, with all the rubbing and prayers, I never felt his presence or his help. With time I accepted the fact that my Buddha was only a lifeless piece of wood that had no ability to have a relationship with me or assist me.

One day my friend Nancy said, “Jim, try Jesus! If you are looking for love, security, and someone to guide you, Jesus is your answer. He is not a lifeless little carving like the Buddha you used to wear. He is alive and active.”

Don’t trust in worthless idols; put your hope in the living God!

Jim “Umf” Lo is a professor at Indiana Wesleyan University, cross-cultural leader, intercessor, and author of several books including Unholiness: Overcoming the Forces That Attack Your Soul (WPH).

© 2019 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.