For years I kept God in a box…usually in the corner of the closet or shoved waaay way under my bed. And I only let Him out when I felt it was necessary. If I was hurt or sick and needed healing, I’d let Him out of the box. If I was heartbroken and needed comforting, I’d let Him out of the box. If I reeeeally needed to ace that test…well, you get the picture.
I only called on Him when I “needed” something, and I certainly wasn’t seeking a true relationship with Him. Because of that, my knowledge and understanding of Him was very shallow. My image of God looked like your stereotypical storybook God. I knew who God was, but I didn’t know God. My ignorance was limiting God, keeping Him locked away for a rainy day when I thought I might eventually need Him.
And when that rainy day finally came, it was mind-blowing (and humbling) to realize that God doesn’t fit in a box! That this “box” I had kept Him in for so many years couldn’t contain Him. That His ability far surpassed my own on any given day. That the God I thought I knew and understood was greater than anything I could ever wrap my mind around. I owed God a HUGE apology!
I think back on those years sometimes and wonder how I ever got to where I am today…but then I remember it was by destroying that box I kept God hidden in, by allowing Him to escape and fill every area of my life, instead of just in those I thought He needed to be.
For me, it really put things into perspective to reverse the situation: What if God put you in a box? What if you were being limited by God? I personally would be beating down the walls to escape! And when we free God from this box we’ve created for Him, in a bigger way He’s freeing us because we’re not just opening the box, we’re opening ourselves up for God to truly work in our lives.
By throwing away my God-box, God has opened up a world of opportunity to me. Literally!
God has shown me that He cannot be contained…and to prove that, He’s now sending me on the World Race to help show others all over the world. I can’t even wrap my mind around that. It is incredible what can happen when we stop limiting God to what we think He’s capable of!
So my prayer for those who may still be keeping God in a box is this: I pray that you destroy that box, that false image of who you think God is and what you think He’s capable of. I pray you open your hearts and your mind to seek God in all areas of your life, not just when you deem necessary. And I pray that once you do He blesses you beyond measure.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33, ESV)
