Stepping Out of the Box

Friday night, I found myself mesmerized by the beauty of the night sky.  It was so crystal clear.  Bands of the Milky Way and distant planets seemed close enough to touch.  I'm baffled by it's absolute perfection.  Everything about our existence in the universe is just right.  Count it no coincidence that life not only exists, but flourishes on our tiny little planet.  In the infinite vastness of our universe, the Earth would not even amount to a speck of dust.  Yet, here we are!  Astronomers and Physicists who spend their lives studying the universe still have no idea how big our universe is.  You see, their knowledge of the universe is limited by the speed of light.  They can't see farther than light can travel.  Even though scientists can't see beyond the so called "edge of the universe", most believe that innumerable galaxies exist beyond that boundary.  So, even though they are limited by sight, their belief surpasses those limits.  Even though the universe is limited to them, they do not reciprocate these limitations.

Can we say the same?  Our desire to identify with societal groups often binds God to the cultural norms of that society.  But, God is not a part of any one culture or society.  We limit God's ability according to what we are comfortable with him doing.  We call people crazy when they claim to see ghosts or UFO's, because those things cannot exist within the boundaries of normal reasoning.  We call evolution preposterous, because we can't grasp a God who creates continually.  Yet, the very God we proclaim to be ours is the apex of the supernatural.  What about the resurrection of Jesus Christ?  The very super nature of this event is how we know Him as Saviour!  Man places labels and categorizes everything from social class and race to morality in an effort to better understand God.  Yet, in doing so, we prove our inability to grasp his omnipotence.

Struggling churches seeking growth resort to commercialized gimmicks instead of having faith in God's ability to work.  When their efforts prove futile, they don't understand where they went wrong.  Our lack of understanding is the point.  We don't get it.  We're not supposed to. Isaiah 55:8-9 says this;

      "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

For true growth to occur, we must come to terms with our own inadequacy.  Like it or not, God's existence goes beyond that pretty little box we try and put Him in. It goes back to sharing His vision, not our vision of Him.  Because in His vision, there are no limits; no impossibilities. Because, in His vision, we are free to step outside of the box.