With a 2 year old in the house, mac and cheese seems to have become a staple in our household diet. We make it at least once a week, and if my daughter had her way, it would be at least once a day! You would think that because I make it all the time, I would have it down pat, well, not so much. Yesterday I decided that I would be clever and try to save some time and energy by using a smaller pot that would take up less room and be easier to clean. Well, my plan backfired. The pot ended up being too small and the mac and cheese spilled out over the edges while I was cooking it – thus resulting in more mess to clean up than I would have had if I had just used a bigger pot!
There are times when we try to do the same thing with God. We try to put God in a box that is too small for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes it is because we think it will be easier to carry God around with us if we can just stuff Him in this little box. Other times it is because we know that God can make a mess of our lives sometimes, and so we try to contain that possibility by putting Him in a small container. The problem is that when we try to put God in a box we limit our ability to know and participate in what God is doing. God may be doing wonderful and amazing things all around us, but we miss it because it doesn’t fit into the box we have made God fit in. God may be trying to do something wonderful in our own lives and we miss it because we have limited what God can do and what God has access to.
God can’t have access to our finances, marriages, or friendships because God needs to fit in that little Sunday morning box we put Him in. Let God out of the box! God’s work can’t be limited by any box we may try to fit Him in, and when we do try we can end up missing being a part of God’s work in and through us. Letting God out of the box means that we need to trust that the God of the Universe really does want what is best for us and has a good plan for us. It can be scary to surrender and let God be in charge, but it also brings far more blessings than we will ever be able to count. Take that step and pray about where you may be limiting God’s work in your life, and ask God to let you be more open to God’s leading and direction.
