Life out of the box
Let me explain what I consider to be in the box. My son, Loren, constantly lives in the world of imagination. My wife Nada and I, make serious efforts to keep him "on the ground". It's our fear that one day he will wake up in a cruel reality and be disappointed. So we want to bring him to the place where he can just fit... But then I remember how much my son and I are alike, how many times I used to imagine that I'm somehow different, that I'll succeed one day and that my purpose is bigger than LET ME JUST SURVIVE A DAY. As much as I was dreaming about the great things, the reality of this life has overwhelmed me and my life has become so mundane: job, home, vacation. Society is set up in a way to help you to fit somewhere... and make you stop dreaming about how your purpose is really bigger than LET ME JUST SURVIVE A DAY. Finally, we forget the dreams of our youth and fall into routine. But deep inside of us dissatisfaction remains, followed by a question: Is this all there is to life?
And because of that cry inside of us, I have the feeling that we live inside the boxes of circumstances and situations, which have captured us, and we must get out of them.
Can we truly live out of the box?
First, it's hard for us to perceive that we're in the box. When we look at other people, we can see that they're stuck inside rules or situations from which they can't see an exit, but for us the solution is obvious. Second, if you're found inside the box, don't be desperate, because it's not a sin to be in the box. Sin is to not do anything with it and stay there despite your own wishes. Once, I invited my friend to come to church and he replied: "I'd like to, but I'm scared about what people would say if they see me." Or something like this: "Son, don't go out with her, she is not from our... BOX?" "Don't do it like that, we do it like this...?" We can find many examples like this, and we have all experienced things like that, things that broke us and kept us inside our boxes.
Why's that?
-If we are in the box, why can't we be satisfied?
-If we can get out, why then, don't we get out of the box?
We're not satisfied, because deep inside of us we know that we belong to the much bigger story from the one in which we are now. When we're watching films and see people who are ready to step up and risk their lives for a bigger goal, we take a deep breath, and usually we let out some tears. That's because we feel that we belong to the one big story – God's Story, in which we find our real purpose, but we can't find the strength to step up.
In Bible, in the books of Judges 6:11-14, we find a story about Gideon, who found himself in the box because of circumstances. Because of fear of the Midianites, he was threshing wheat on the press. He was hidden because he was scared that someone would find him. Dissatisfied with his situation, he was doing the only thing he could – he was complaining: "Why has this come after me? Where is God, and all of His miracles? Why has God abandoned me and left me in the hands of the Midianites?" So the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him: "May the Lord be with you, oh brave hero!" For Gideon it must have sounded completely insane – he had been called a hero yet was hiding like the biggest coward! If you were called a hero, and you weren't able to fulfill you destiny, you'd probably hid like a biggest coward. If we pour out our heart before God, He won't leave us. He said to Gideon: "Go with that strength in you" and Gideon got out of his box by listening to His voice. In all of us there is a power, which tears us, but if we allow God, he can use that strength for the good things, and His glory.
We cannot judge other people if they stay inside their boxes when they haven't seen or experienced something bigger or better that would give them the strength and motivation to get out of their box. But if we need something big, can we think of something that is bigger than God? We can talk about God – how He is great and mighty, how He is the only one who can help us, but it's a void story if we don't experience it. Experiencing God's Mercy and Love brings us to transformation of our whole being. That's why Paul says in Philippians (paraphrase): For that experience - Christ, everything that was worthy - has lost value and price. Therefore I acknowledge everything as dirty mud or unimportant and I'm ready to sacrifice it all to experience Him and the power of His resurrection. God's power has taken Jesus out of grave!
Also in Acts 17:26-30, Paul says that by God we live and move. So, if we want to move from the place where we're standing we can do it only through Him. Faith is truly God's gift for us all, because we can find Him by faith. But today the word "faith" has become just a synonym for being a part of religious group. But if we say that we have a faith, and the faith doesn't lead us to find and experience God and His power then we must ask ourselves: "What then, is faith for?" We people know how to complicate things such as how to come into the God's presence. And God has made it so simple, that everyone can find Him. It's so simple that it seems ridiculous: so simple that you just have to believe it! God just waits for us to call Him into our lives so that He can lead us! My life started changing when I confessed to God that I can't break my addictions, that I can't say no to my friends and family, that I can't get rid of pain and bitterness, no matter how much I wanted to do it – I couldn't. And from that moment on, God started pulling me out of the box in which I was trapped.
If you read this, and you've never tried to talk to God up to now or tried to ask Him for help, then this is the right opportunity for you. Just speak honestly with your Heavenly Father and call Him into your life. Our Heavenly father is a good father and He wants to help you. He waits for you. God wants to be found, even when we think that we've gone too far!
When we trust God and put our faith in Him, we're on the way out of the box. That transition is similar to going through a tunnel or maybe being born – reborn even, arriving at something new. Jesus said, "New wine can't be put in the old wineskins".
Then our faith gets put to the test because we can't see what's on the other side.
But what if...?
And then we step into the serious encounter with reality: what if our family rejects us, or our neighbors and so on...
"Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it."(Mt.10: 39).
Peter maybe didn't even understand the depth of these words, at least while his faith wasn't put to the test. One night, while the disciples were on the open sea, Jesus came to them by walking on the water surface. I don't know what was Peter thinking about when he said to Jesus: "If it's you, order me to come toward you walking on the water!". But he said it and he heard Jesus' call "Come". That step was completely opposite to logic. Peter was fisherman for so long that he wouldn't understand, that he would drown if he steps on the water. His feelings were mixed, many thoughts were going through his mind – what, how, if – at least I'd feel like that. However these words come to Peter: ...AND WHOEVER LOSES IT, WILL SAVE IT?! There is no logic, that's insanity, but Peter still decided to choose: I believe! Not only I trust you for who You are; but also I trust you with my whole life. In that moment Peter was out of the boat walking like never before. Can we say to Jesus that we trust Him for all of our life and for every situation in which we find ourselves: What if troubles come? There's a promise in God's word, He's always there, in all days until the end of the world! If we ask him for help, Jesus will reach out His hand and take us out on the firm foundation, the rock of life.
How to not get back to the box?
Once God takes us out of our boxes and lifts us above situations, many people believe that life should be calm; there shouldn't be any falls. Unfortunately, life amplitude looks like a print of an ECG test – full of ups and downs. When the life amplitude calms down, therefore straight, that means that we're up there in Heaven. Someone will say, so what's different then? What's the difference between life in the box and out of it? The difference is in perspective! WE'RE NOT ALONE! Paul writes in Romans chapter 5, that we should be proud by Christ's Grace, because by His grace we're on the higher place, or in other words on the uplift of our life. But Paul goes further: "Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance character; and character, hope, and hope does not put us to shame... (Rom.5: 3-5)
We glory in our sufferings? When the sufferings come it's like losing the ground under your feet and the only thing you do is try to hold onto something or find some sort of solution for how to get back to an original state – up. I understand how is it when you lose the ground under your feet. My wife Nada and I lost our first son on his day of birth. That day everything was under question: faith, God, church. We wondered what should we hold onto now? Today I'm thankful to God that he gave me mercy to turn back to Him in that suffering. I didn't know how to go on, nor why, nor how... All that I knew was repeating Bible verses, that God works everything to good for the ones who love Him. We decided to trust Him with our whole lives and we've found comfort in Him. Our son - even though we'd like him to be with us - is growing up in Heaven with our Lord. Paul says that sufferings produce perseverance. That's exactly the place where our faith was put to the test. In those moments, no matter how hard it is, if we decide to put our faith in Jesus, we wrap ourselves around Him and we believe that He knows why, and that He has the way out; instead of finding solutions on our own, Jesus will take care of us. While we hold on to Jesus and wait upon Him, we become patient, and our faith is being approved. And then something happens that is only characteristic to God, and that's the fact that new hope is reborn from everything. And when we're full of hope for life and for our tomorrows, then we're on the top of our life amplitude. Not only that we're on the top, but even more then we were ever before, because we're lifted up by His power.
I have a dream that I still haven't achieved in my life, and that's para-sailing. I hope that I'll be able to do it someday. That's a very exciting sport. You jump off the cliff and you lift up into sky. Jumps like this would end up quickly if there wasn't upwelling. Experienced jumpers have learned how to find upwelling so they can quickly climb to a desired attitude and thus spend the whole day in the air. It's the same thing with life out of box. If we trust God, He'll help us despite the circumstances to soar in the heights on the wings of faith. No matter how fast we can drown, we can climb up even faster if we put our trust in Jesus.
Is that all?
I mentioned that we find our real purpose in life with the Lord, but that purpose isn't only that we just step out and learn how to live out of the box. If you're one that God has saved then you need to know that God passionately wishes to find a lost man! Jesus has stepped out towards us. He's the one that leaves 99 sheep for the sake of the lost one. Jesus shows us not only by example (Phil 2:6-11), but also commands us to go and bring the good news to those who are trapped inside the box, those who don't know how to get out.
Lk.15: 7 "I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing, in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."
Here is something that's bigger than a bare obedience to the command. Not only that we'll be obedient that we have to, yet we understand that heavenly joy comes down on us because of our obedience. Many people complain that churches today are dead, there's no passion. Who knows, it's maybe because there's no heavenly joy for the one sinner. We're looking for inner satisfaction, but there is no bigger satisfaction that a man could experience than when our Father is satisfied and when He confirms us. People can respect us, we can be wealthy, but the Father's opinion is the most important to us. We're filled with joy when we hear the voice of our Heavenly Father: "Good and faithful servant!"
When we, while out of the box understand God's heart, willingly step back into the box because of one who is lost, then we live the fullness of our purpose. Because we're created in God's image, and He's the one who saves, a Savior. We inherit Him.
LIFE OUT OF THE BOX IS TRULLY WHEN WE HELP OTHER TO GET OUT OF THEIR BOXES.
COME ON AND STEP OUT!
Bernard Mikulić
Share Link: 
