Chances are, if you've been to a science fair, you've seen the classic Styrofoam solar system.  Although it is a very simple illustration of how the universe works, it takes an abstract scientific reality and communicates it in a clear, tangible form.  The sun, of course, is placed in the center, and all of the planets are hung at various distances and revolve around it.  I don't question that model today, but I remember being a bit surprised when I first saw a model solar system.  From my perspective, it seemed that the Earth should have been placed at the center because as far as I could tell, the sun, moon, stars, and other planets all revolved around us!  Even today, I am convinced that the Earth is not at the center of the Universe, but when I look out my window, it sure appears that way.

I believe that many Christians look at their lives in much the same way as I viewed the solar system.  We know in our minds that God is at the center of everything, but we are often misled by our perceived reality.  Maybe we wouldn't admit it, but the truth is that the world seems to revolve around us.  We get upset when cars pull out in front of us on the highway.  We become disappointed or angry when our husbands or wives fail to meet our "needs."  We are hurt when our employers fail to recognize the hard work we've been doing.  We become indignant when someone falsely accuses us and we fight to clear ourselves.  Although most of us would never say it, our problem is that deep down, we really believe that this life is about us.

The problem with allowing anything other than God to be at the center of our lives is that it reveals nothing else was designed for the task.  Everything that God created was designed to point us to Him, but many times we allow creation to steal the affection of our hearts.  For example, marriage was created to portray the relationship between Jesus and the Church (Eph. 5:23-32).  However, many couples find themselves placing all of their trust, hope, desires, and expectations in each other.  When this happens, the couple has effectively placed their relationship at the center and allowed their hearts to revolve around something other than God.  If then, something goes wrong in the relationship, trust is broken, or expectations go unmet, the couple is thrown out of orbit and everything comes crashing down.  That relationship was never meant to sustain or maintain that couple.  Only God can provide true satisfaction.  The same is true for the husband who allows his career to take center stage, the mother who devotes everything to her children, or the man who finds his worth in his possessions.  Of course, we should strive to do and be our best, but we cannot allow anything, or anyone to capture the affection of our hearts.  Anything that we begin to value more than a pure relationship with God is a sinful perversion of His intended purpose and we will be forever disappointed as creation fails us.      

The words written by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:31 help to give us a more proper perspective.  He states that "Whether you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."  The truth is that God is at the center, and we were created to revolve around Him.  Our purpose is not to find happiness, fulfillment, or value in this life - it is to bring glory to the One who Created us!  Paul is not simply encouraging us to pray more, to spend more time in Scripture, or to be nicer to those around us, he is pointing to the fact everything we do, from the simple to the complex, is meant to bring glory to God.  He is commanding us to remove ourselves, our relationships, or status, and our possession from the center of our lives and to give Him the glory He rightfully deserves.  It is time that we recognize our perversion and allow our hearts to revolve around Christ - for His glory!