Juggling Boxes
My friend has this great illustration about our relationship with God that I'd love to share with you. I want to be sure to emphasize, though, that this is her idea not mine.
Our life is a thousand little boxes. Sometimes, the boxes are neatly labeled and organized. Sometimes, they are falling apart and spilling over. But for everything we take on, we add another box to the mix. There's a box for school work, a box for our jobs, a box for our friends, a box for love, a box for our hobbies; it's no wonder we're so often burnt out... think of all those boxes we're juggling.
At some point in your life, you may have decided to add the God box into the mix. You might have not known what you were signing up for, but when you got it, you were probably surprised. The God box is HUGE.
Honestly, that's just not fair. You're already juggling so many boxes and it was a big commitment to take on one more, so the fact that it's so large is more than inconvenient. But you love God and you're committed, so you add it into the mix.
Now you're juggling, juggling, juggling... trying to keep it all from falling to the ground. You're more exhausted and burnt out than ever. Wasn't God supposed to make things better? You're just driving yourself deeper into the ground.
You may last for some time, but eventually, it will happen. Your hand slips. You don't get it up fast enough. You take your eyes off the focus just a bit to long. Then, crash! It all comes down. Frustrated, you flop down and put your head in your hands. For all that God called himself "rest for the weary," He only left you more exhausted. Now your boxes are everywhere, spread out all across the floor, spilling out, and dented.
Then you notice something. No, it can't be... You pick yourself up, walk over, look down. Sure enough, it's true. The God box is almost entirely empty. Now you're just angry. Why did it have to be so big? Couldn't He have been a bit more considerate and given you a smaller box without all that empty space?
Then, you are stopped in your thoughts. Shocked, you look around. You dust yourself off. You pick up the fallen boxes and gather them back together. Then, one by one, you place them in the God box. After a bit of work, you look around. Only the big box remains, and you're no longer left with a juggling act. You've given your life to another, and now He carries your problems, fears, and joys with Him.
God isn't another thing you add to your life. He is the one the brings Life to everything you do.
Our life is a thousand little boxes. Sometimes, the boxes are neatly labeled and organized. Sometimes, they are falling apart and spilling over. But for everything we take on, we add another box to the mix. There's a box for school work, a box for our jobs, a box for our friends, a box for love, a box for our hobbies; it's no wonder we're so often burnt out... think of all those boxes we're juggling.
At some point in your life, you may have decided to add the God box into the mix. You might have not known what you were signing up for, but when you got it, you were probably surprised. The God box is HUGE.
Honestly, that's just not fair. You're already juggling so many boxes and it was a big commitment to take on one more, so the fact that it's so large is more than inconvenient. But you love God and you're committed, so you add it into the mix.
Now you're juggling, juggling, juggling... trying to keep it all from falling to the ground. You're more exhausted and burnt out than ever. Wasn't God supposed to make things better? You're just driving yourself deeper into the ground.
You may last for some time, but eventually, it will happen. Your hand slips. You don't get it up fast enough. You take your eyes off the focus just a bit to long. Then, crash! It all comes down. Frustrated, you flop down and put your head in your hands. For all that God called himself "rest for the weary," He only left you more exhausted. Now your boxes are everywhere, spread out all across the floor, spilling out, and dented.
Then you notice something. No, it can't be... You pick yourself up, walk over, look down. Sure enough, it's true. The God box is almost entirely empty. Now you're just angry. Why did it have to be so big? Couldn't He have been a bit more considerate and given you a smaller box without all that empty space?
Then, you are stopped in your thoughts. Shocked, you look around. You dust yourself off. You pick up the fallen boxes and gather them back together. Then, one by one, you place them in the God box. After a bit of work, you look around. Only the big box remains, and you're no longer left with a juggling act. You've given your life to another, and now He carries your problems, fears, and joys with Him.
God isn't another thing you add to your life. He is the one the brings Life to everything you do.
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