There is no box big enough
to hold our God.
So why do we so often insist
on putting him in one?

It's easy to build a mental picture
of what we want Him to do and be.
But if I'm creating a god,
it will only be as big and powerful
as I can imagine.

I want a God Who's so much bigger than that!

I want a God
Who sees around corners
and Who knows what's on the road ahead.
Who can control all the minute and immense pieces
of my life and my universe,
Who makes seemingly random events
coalesce into divinely planned coincidences.

But to have those perfectly-prepared-for-me moments,
I need to accept all the moments
that build up to them.

The painful growth moments
as He chisels off my rough edges,
the difficult waits
when I learn patience and trust.
Those confusing, bewildering, frustrating moments
when I don't get my own way
and never find out why.
They're all a part of the package.
They're all a part of the plan.

Yes, I could imagine a life
where everything goes my way
and a god who only does my bidding –
but I could never have imagined an elephant.

I could never have imagined
the I-get-it! light in a second grader's eyes
after a long math lesson.
I could never have imagined
the bliss of sinking into a bubble bath
after a painfully long workout at the gym.
I could never have imagined
the tight bear hug
after a way-too-long absence.

I could never have imagined,
and still can't quite yet imagine
stepping into a flawless eternity
after a life here on earth.

I could never begin to write a story
near as good
as the one God is writing with my life
when I let Him
out of my box.