Boxes are for the Birds

So, I want to talk about boxes. Years ago, I had a friend look after my bird while I was away. He called and said that my bird was at the bottom of the cage and wasn’t moving. I remembered that I had a shoe box in the house and told him to take the bird and put it into the box and that I would decide what to do when I got home later that day. So he used the tongs and lifted up the bird and put it into the shoe box, put the cover back on and placed the box on my kitchen counter. I came home later that day and opened the box and sure enough my bird was dead. Not knowing what to do with it; I left it on the counter and left for another obligation.  I had decided that I would take care of the bird later that night. My friend, Tim, came back to the house while I was away to check in on the other bird and called me in hysterics. He said: “Mariah, I left the bird in the box on the left side of the counter and now the box has moved to the right side of the counter. I guess it wasn’t dead when I put it in there, but I’m pretty sure it is dead now.” I started cracking up which further aggravated him. I could barely speak I was laughing so hard. He hadn’t realized that I had come home and I was the one that had moved the box. After apologizing I think he has forgiven me.

Dead things are put into boxes. That’s not where we put the Living God. If you can’t see what God is doing in your life, it isn’t because He isn’t there. He never stops caring for us and preempting our needs. You can’t see life when you put a lid on a box, when you trap what is living. Open up the box so you can hear the beating of the wings of the Holy Spirit. Let the dove descend upon you. Open your arms and throw your head back and let the power of the Spirit blow your mind and destroy the smallness of your thinking. God can only be as big in your life as you allow him to be. Open up the gates! Let the floodwaters surround you! I don’t want a little god who can only do little things. I want the Kingdom of Heaven. I want the Creator of the universe. I want the King of kings and Lord of lords. I want Jehovah Jireh, God of provision!

When we are born God is all we know. There are no limitations. It isn’t until sin and judgement creep into our lives that we start building God’s box. God you can’t go to the concert with me. God you can’t come to school with me. God you can’t go on this date with me. With each of these exclusions, another piece of wood is applied to the box. Pretty soon, the box is complete and God is in it and you place the lid over him. It is likely you didn’t even notice that you covered him up as you were so memorized in your self-worship. Once the oxygen depletes and the fire goes out, you have a coffin where the lover of your soul used to live. You traded everything of eternal value for self- idolatry. Time passes and you’ve tasted all the delights the world has to offer and you become bored. It occurs to you that there was a time in your life that was much better than today. It is then that you ask, where is God? He has forsaken me! Now you have two choices to make. You can put the last angry nail in the coffin or you can begin the deconstruction of yourself and your choices and begin removing the wood and the nails. And when you finish, and grace restores all that you so freely gave away, you will see the scars of your choices, on the hands of your Savior. Some of the nails you drove in can never be undone because Jesus received those nails as a willing sacrifice, as the ram in the thicket. And when that revelation encompasses your mind and your soul, you will fall to your knees. No matter where you are in your walk with God, it is never too late to take Him out of the box and watch in awe and wonder at the amazing Glory of God.