Recently, I was packing my bag for a trip. It is the regular size
backpack that I always use to carry my things while I’m travelling. I took my clothes
one by one, placed it inside the bag and soon it was filled. But, I had this one
last clothe that I had to keep inside it. I had no other option but to make
some place and stuff in the last one. Somehow,
I managed to push it in and zip the bag. I felt as if I had conquered an indomitable foe.
Though the bag was heavy after stuffing it with clothes I was happy
that I could take everything inside that bag.
Days after, back home, almost a month after the trip I was sitting
before my desk for my morning devotion. And,
I remembered the packing of my bag accompanied by this thought “am I’ not like
this when it is about God? Do I not stuff him inside the box that I have made?” Just like the cloth that I had. Few days before,
I had an interesting conversation with my friend on how we try to push God
inside the small, big or medium sized boxes that we have made. Anywhere we go, may
it be conference, seminar, bible study group, church or convention, a transfer
happens – it is the transfer of different ideas of who God is and is not. Most of
the time this transfer remains as an information inside of us and seldom do we
check to see if what the preacher/teacher said is true. We are like the babies
who would eat only if they are fed.
Someday before I had a conversation with one person whom I dearly love, I
was telling that person how God has helped me grow in faith. The ways that he
answered me when there was no possibility of an answer. I said “every day is
a step of faith, you don’t see what is ahead of you still you make that step.” It
is like walking under the dark clouds with no light to guide you, every step
that you take is a step of faith. A day later, my test of faith came. I had to take a decision on a certain matter. I
called up my friend and said “listen there is this situation on which i have a decision to
take, if the things don’t work out as intended then I will have to shift to
plan B.” “Why plan B?” my friend retorted. That is the time that it stuck to me, if I believe
that God has certain plan for me and I believe in it. Then, why should I have a
plan B? That is the time that I had this thought “am I not boxing God?”
when the act of my faith was affirmed by God I said “God honors our faith!’
and, when I had to take a decision on a certain matter I had to plan a “plan B.”
I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have a plan b. It is good to have that. The reason
why I presented this scenario is to show how we can box God? In one I had total
faith and in another I didn’t! Something went wrong. I had boxed God! For some I
had all powerful and all favourable God and for another I had god of
apprehension.
I believe that this is not just my case, there would be many who would
have gone through such dilemma. For some it might be something that is entirely
different from mine. It might be some personal convictions. Some of us might
say that God is a gracious God and we can do whatever because he is gracious. And
for some of us, I hold this belief that, yes God is gracious but he is also
holding sword of judgment. We can’t do
anything that we like! The question resounds “where have we kept God?
Inside which box?” I believe it is high time that we take God out of our boxes
and know Him for who He is and not for our convenience. Just think about it, do
we want us to be tagged, labeled and boxed by our friends, family or any random
person? No! Right? Then why do we have to do that with God. One thing that I understand
is that can we can’t define God in absolute terms but at least we may not be
having the wrong beliefs, if we take him out of the box!
