Boxes

Picture this:

You are getting married. You have a wedding shower. You get a set of amazing china. You go home. you put it in a box. You decide that you cannot use this china for everyday life because it is too fancy. So you put it in that box and you put it in a cupboard. You chose not to bring it out again until thanks-giving or christmas. You only bring this beautiful china out when it is a big occasion because you don't want it broken.

let's be honest we all know someone who has done this. it doesn't even have to be china, it could be anything. Those really great shoes, or "that" dress. We choose not to use these things because we are afraid of breaking them right?

over the last few weeks i have been realizing how many people do this to God. Putting God in a box. making him smaller than he is, and not bringing him out unless you know the conditions are perfect. We take God out and tell him what he "has" to do. We tell God how we think he should work. How he should be blessing us. And when God says "what are you thinking? I am so bigger than that" we quickly shove him back in the box and swear to only take him out when we are in the right condition.

I am guilty. I do this. I have been putting God in a box for the last 5 years. Only taking him out when I know I won't be hurt. Only when I know that I will have the right answers. Or when I know that God is  truly working.

Right now in this moment I even feel guilty writing this.

The last week I have shoved God back in the box that I keep for him. I stuffed him in deep and decided that I had the right answers. That I was going to make decisions that were going to please me. I was not going to act in a way that god has and is calling me to act. Did it get me ahead in life? No. Did it make me feel like crap for 2 days? Yes sir. Did I make bad decisions? Yes. Do I deserve forgiveness? No. Will I still get forgiveness? Yes.

God is bigger than anything you can even imagine. God is full of grace. More Grace that we can even think about.

I write this because I need to remind myself once again.