God in a box

I'm in the middle of several different books right now...one by the atheist-biologist, Richard Dawkins, called "The God delusion", another by Eugene Peterson on pastoral integrity, and one by Lee Strobel dealing with finding the real Jesus. What I find, and have realized over the years, is how much we want to put God in a box....wrap him us so we can "handle him." We all do that....I find myself trying to "package God" so he's easier to manage in my own life, but he simply refuses to fit into my boxes. I guess that's why he's God.

Even authors the likes of Richard Dawkins try to put God in a box so they can easily dispose of him. I am halfway through his book right now, and will give you a report when I'm done. But God will not fit into our boxes....

I have to constantly remember who is the creator and who is the creation. I forget, and find myself trying to get God into my box...trying to get him to do things my way, but he simply refuses....and then I remember, "Oh yeah, HE'S God, I'm not." And I find I have wasted another fine box trying to make God fit MY life, MY wishes, MY wants, MY way.

In my life I have to constantly be reading in the gospels- Matthew, Mark, Luke & John, to keep my vision clear regarding my boxes. Jesus was always frustrating the people of the first century because he refused to fit in their religious boxes, their social boxes, their political boxes...and he does that with us too. He forces us into a relationship, not a religion.

Relationships are never packaged....they are always messy. One day Jesus heals by putting mud on a man's eyes, another time he simply speaks to the man, and yet another time he heals in a completely different way. How can we get the right box when he never gives us the magic formula? He does that in our lives too. For me it's been over 40 years of trying to get just the right box for God to fit in only to see him smile, walk right past my box and deal with ME. I guess I should know better by now, but I think I still do it....I still try to put God in a box, but God just smiles.....

He loves me too much to ever let me put him in a box.