Friday, March 04, 2005
Out of the Box
Mindy and I are in the process of moving. The next couple of weeks will find us packing, taping, trashing and moving all we own into a storage unit just 2 miles from where we live. It is weird to think that all we own will fit into a 10x15 foot 'box'. I mean everything. Our bed, our furniture, clothes, TV, lamps, lamp stands, books, dishes, tables, and chairs. Everything we own, all our possesions in a 10x15 foot box. Now, our stuff will only be there for a couple of weeks. That will be just enough time for us to close on our new home. Then all we own will come out of the 10x15 foot box and into a box of a different kind.
Boxes are great resources when you need them. They help create space and also allow you to condense things down if you don't have enough space (how else would our whole house fit into a 10x15 ft. box). Most of our boxes will be packed with books. Some will have dishes while others will be filled with various other necessities. Basically some of the most precious things we own will go into a box. And those boxes will go into a bigger box.
It makes me think about my life. It makes me think about how I compartmentalize my life. I have a box for work. I have a box for my marriage. I have a box for my friendships. I have a box for belongings. I have a box for ideas. I have a box for family members. I have a box for God. I guess it makes me feel more in control of my life to have everything compartmentalized. Maybe it is smart ot have some things boxed away or organized. But why would I treat God like He is just another possession? I think that I get scared sometimes that He may actually not want to be in the box I have created for Him. Of course we have all heard the phrase, "Don't put God in a box". But I am sure the person that first uttered those words had a nice box for God themselves.
Putting God there makes US feel safe. It also keeps Him safe and in our control. That sounds so weird to even say. How can we control the creator of safety? How can we control the author of control? How can we box up the maker of all boxes? The answer is simple. We all know we can't keep God boxed up, but we continue to try. Why is that? What would it take to let him out? Do we even want to let Him out? Is he really inside the box to begin with?
Maybe if we tried to get a bigger box we would have more success keeping Him in there...say a 10x15 ft. box?
Boxes are great resources when you need them. They help create space and also allow you to condense things down if you don't have enough space (how else would our whole house fit into a 10x15 ft. box). Most of our boxes will be packed with books. Some will have dishes while others will be filled with various other necessities. Basically some of the most precious things we own will go into a box. And those boxes will go into a bigger box.
It makes me think about my life. It makes me think about how I compartmentalize my life. I have a box for work. I have a box for my marriage. I have a box for my friendships. I have a box for belongings. I have a box for ideas. I have a box for family members. I have a box for God. I guess it makes me feel more in control of my life to have everything compartmentalized. Maybe it is smart ot have some things boxed away or organized. But why would I treat God like He is just another possession? I think that I get scared sometimes that He may actually not want to be in the box I have created for Him. Of course we have all heard the phrase, "Don't put God in a box". But I am sure the person that first uttered those words had a nice box for God themselves.
Putting God there makes US feel safe. It also keeps Him safe and in our control. That sounds so weird to even say. How can we control the creator of safety? How can we control the author of control? How can we box up the maker of all boxes? The answer is simple. We all know we can't keep God boxed up, but we continue to try. Why is that? What would it take to let him out? Do we even want to let Him out? Is he really inside the box to begin with?
Maybe if we tried to get a bigger box we would have more success keeping Him in there...say a 10x15 ft. box?
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Good thoughts....that analogy sounds so much like something out of the box. Maybe you guys should do that one day, think out of the box :)
Jana...stop fishing for links it's beneath you. You have morereaders than any of us.
Jana...stop fishing for links it's beneath you. You have morereaders than any of us.
Chris, i would say that a blog is a really good idea. We can all easily post our thoughts on certain subjects, using the greatness of "Server-Side-Scripting"(PHP, MySQL, Apache, Perl, etc.). BTW, this out of the box things sounds spiffy. It is a great analogy.
I liked class on sunday, even though I wrote on yellow paper, with a yellow hi-lighter. :-P good luck reading it. I take lots of pride, knowing you are guiding me on my way. You have one of the coolest jobs in the world!
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I liked class on sunday, even though I wrote on yellow paper, with a yellow hi-lighter. :-P good luck reading it. I take lots of pride, knowing you are guiding me on my way. You have one of the coolest jobs in the world!
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