An Anomalous Belfry

Would You Like Fries With That?

OK, so it's been about a bazillion seconds since I last posted. I know, ya'll are out there waiting with baited breath, longing for another update...

Here it is!

But first, a public service announcement...

Previously, theDING stated that he would temporarily align his CFL allegiances with the British Columbia Lions. Unfortunately, said Lions have proven toothless against the vile wiles of a large group of Eskimos from Edmoton. As a result, theDING was considering realigning once again to line up with the Eskimos' next opponent, Montreal for the championship matchup. However, the ECFHA has league play on that same day. Despite the fact that the schedule allows the viewing of the game, floor hockey with real people is infintestimately more interesting and theDING will not be cheering, but hoping that Edmonton gets beat nonetheless.

And now back to our studio.

The title for this post is one of the ones that I wrote during the experimental period that I mused about in my last post. So sit back and enjoy...

One of the big things that we talk about here at FGBC is God. Being a theological place, you would normally come to expect that, but sometimes the discussions go off in zany directions. A common thing to happen in the midst of a group of people is for a person to talk about something that they did because of a misguided belief in God or something that they have seen someone else do for the same reason. The actions are often referred to as "putting God in a box".

And rightly so.

How and why do we expect God to fit within our neat little paradigms and ideas? If we keep making assumptions about who God is, one of us is going to end up looking like an idiot (and it won't be God). We need to read God's word completely and in context and couple what we see there with our experiences and those of others. Continous delving at and considering these "relational truths" will eventually break open our box about God...or at least start some leaking at the seams.

However, I often find it sad how Christians, including myself, are guilty of putting ourselves in a box, in a similar way that we do to God. We limit God's power through the "boxing" process and we do something similar to ourselves through the power of our thoughts and words. Even though sometimes we are joking or fooling around when we make comments that go against gifts and talents that the body of Christ has affirmed in us, it can put limits on us. It may not be always noticeable or even manifesting itself in the targeted area, but we fail to realize that our words have power that can bind or "box" our lives.

What we often take for granted is that we have the image of Christ in us. That's the way in which we are created! This image is not something that we have to earn or strive for, but something that has been given to us as God's gift. We have some of the same characteristics as God, such as the abilities to reason, love and have relationships with other people. Even though we do not have these in perfection (like God does), these are some of the things that make us unique and not like animals.

Knowing that we as Christians can depend on God, how much does it pain God when he sees us living in a way that is not to our fullest potential when we fail to trust in God? "Boxing" these divine attributes, whether they are God's directly or the ones that he shows in us is something that we should pay close attention to and make every effort to avoid. God wants us to live a life without limits, but we have to make sure that things stay clear on both ends of our relationship with him.

posted by theDING @ 13:00