I’m in a Box!
Who defines you the world, yourself, or God
If I were to ask you, who are you, what would be your answer? Would you pull out your driver’s license and read off your name, address, height, weight, date of birth and eye color? Or would you start to tell me about your family and your job?
Granted all these things tell me about parts of you, but it doesn’t tell me who you are. It is a troubling thing to try to define ourselves, because we often look to how the world wishes to place us in boxes to answer such a question.
It is humorous to jump on My Space or other blog websites and see the listings under ones profile. They want to know if you are single or married, if you have children or don’t have children, if you are educated or uneducated. These and many more are the labels we place on people, so that we may set them in a box, a stereotype, or a self made ideal of who this person may or may not be. It truly doesn’t seem fair, for these things are only a glimpse of who we are.
One box of the world cannot contain you, for you can be the doctor, the church-goer, and the mom or dad. But we often hold these individual titles so close to our hearts that when any of them change or are taken away we loose ourselves to the world. Doubt and depression sink in for we are hopeless without a box or title to define us. We struggle to regain ourselves to fit back in a box in order to feel valued in our society, but why when all these categories can be taken away.
Daily in the news, our neighborhood, and nuclear families we see things change. Laws and standards are changed with each passing year. Layoffs and lotteries change a person and those they care for. So why do we hold to these boxes to define ourselves? Why do we give these definitions so much value when we are told that “we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it” (1 Timothy 6:7).
I know this seems like a depressing thought, but it’s not if your heart is in God’s box. Yes I’ve just told you not to place yourself in a box, but the difference is you can define yourself in this box. You don’t have to divide your time between the doctor box, the church-goer box, and the parent box. Christianity can be you definition.
If I were to walk up to you on the street and say I am a Christian, you would already know so much about me. You would know about my integrity, the condition of my heart, that I spend time in God’s word, and follow the example and teachings of Christ. Granted I’m not perfect, but you would know the standards I hold myself too. The standards in which I live, work, play, and hope to stand before God and hear him say, “well done good and faithful servant.”(Matthew 25:21)
What an amazing thing to hold that banner high, and know that your profession, your service, and your family can be part of Christ. And no matter the changes in your job, marital status, family size, or income you know who you are. You can take comfort in the God that knew you from before you were conceived. The God that knows your heart, your talents, your passions, your needs and concerns. He values every part of you. For no matter how we might choose to change the definition of ourselves, God does not change.
So in some ways God is what art portrays him as, an old man. An old man stuck in his ways, stubborn, knowing his way is the best way. Wanting you to grow strong, remember his stories and his love for you. God wants to be your definition above all things, so that he can bless your heart and draw you close in his arms.
If I were to ask you now, who are you, what would be your answer? Would you shout at the top of your lungs that you are a child of God? Or does the box of Christianity seem scary and unattainable?
But there is good news. The ‘Box’ of Christianity does not hold perfect people. It holds those that know they mess up, know they are a sinful people, and know if they repent they will be forgiven. It’s not an unattainable box, just one that requires you to sacrifice the things of this world for the blessings God can provide. And trust me he can overflow the box.
© 2007
If I were to ask you, who are you, what would be your answer? Would you pull out your driver’s license and read off your name, address, height, weight, date of birth and eye color? Or would you start to tell me about your family and your job?
Granted all these things tell me about parts of you, but it doesn’t tell me who you are. It is a troubling thing to try to define ourselves, because we often look to how the world wishes to place us in boxes to answer such a question.
It is humorous to jump on My Space or other blog websites and see the listings under ones profile. They want to know if you are single or married, if you have children or don’t have children, if you are educated or uneducated. These and many more are the labels we place on people, so that we may set them in a box, a stereotype, or a self made ideal of who this person may or may not be. It truly doesn’t seem fair, for these things are only a glimpse of who we are.
One box of the world cannot contain you, for you can be the doctor, the church-goer, and the mom or dad. But we often hold these individual titles so close to our hearts that when any of them change or are taken away we loose ourselves to the world. Doubt and depression sink in for we are hopeless without a box or title to define us. We struggle to regain ourselves to fit back in a box in order to feel valued in our society, but why when all these categories can be taken away.
Daily in the news, our neighborhood, and nuclear families we see things change. Laws and standards are changed with each passing year. Layoffs and lotteries change a person and those they care for. So why do we hold to these boxes to define ourselves? Why do we give these definitions so much value when we are told that “we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it” (1 Timothy 6:7).
I know this seems like a depressing thought, but it’s not if your heart is in God’s box. Yes I’ve just told you not to place yourself in a box, but the difference is you can define yourself in this box. You don’t have to divide your time between the doctor box, the church-goer box, and the parent box. Christianity can be you definition.
If I were to walk up to you on the street and say I am a Christian, you would already know so much about me. You would know about my integrity, the condition of my heart, that I spend time in God’s word, and follow the example and teachings of Christ. Granted I’m not perfect, but you would know the standards I hold myself too. The standards in which I live, work, play, and hope to stand before God and hear him say, “well done good and faithful servant.”(Matthew 25:21)
What an amazing thing to hold that banner high, and know that your profession, your service, and your family can be part of Christ. And no matter the changes in your job, marital status, family size, or income you know who you are. You can take comfort in the God that knew you from before you were conceived. The God that knows your heart, your talents, your passions, your needs and concerns. He values every part of you. For no matter how we might choose to change the definition of ourselves, God does not change.
So in some ways God is what art portrays him as, an old man. An old man stuck in his ways, stubborn, knowing his way is the best way. Wanting you to grow strong, remember his stories and his love for you. God wants to be your definition above all things, so that he can bless your heart and draw you close in his arms.
If I were to ask you now, who are you, what would be your answer? Would you shout at the top of your lungs that you are a child of God? Or does the box of Christianity seem scary and unattainable?
But there is good news. The ‘Box’ of Christianity does not hold perfect people. It holds those that know they mess up, know they are a sinful people, and know if they repent they will be forgiven. It’s not an unattainable box, just one that requires you to sacrifice the things of this world for the blessings God can provide. And trust me he can overflow the box.
© 2007
Labels: Spiritual Java
posted by Valerie at
8:09 AM
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