Life is like a cardboard box, stuffed full of precious items and unimportant things, until the breaking point is reached. Without warning the bottom drops out and everything that you hold dear, including the non-essential, dispensable junk, fall to the hard ground. This creates anger that is accompanied with exasperation and disappointment. The question, “Why?” is asked as the contents shatter before your eyes.
Like the box, when a person overburdens their life with non-important things like trying to satisfy selfish desires, the most important assets such as wife or husband, children, job, church and God, get lost in this box they have created for themselves. These assets are shuffled around as though they are the least important things in life. The “Priority Factor” has been lost in the shuffle that is essential for true success to exist in all areas of living. Important things take second place to the expendable junk; playing second fiddle.
A cardboard box is constructed with tape, staples or glue that holds the sides and bottom flaps in such a way that it gives support and security to its content. As long as the box is not subjected to overburdening by subject matter, and creating undue pressure to the point of failure, the contents are kept safe. Stress is created when an excessive load for which the box was not designed is placed within the box. With sides bulging and bottom sagging, it submits to the law of gravity—design failure takes place.
Such is the makeup of men and women that try to mix worldly things with wholesome possessions that God has blessed them with. God did not design us to be filled with the heaviness of burdensome stuff. He created us in love, filled us with the ability to show love, and to be loved. God gave His only Son to die on a cruel, rugged cross that we can be free of heavy burdens. Sin, the heaviest of all burdens, affects every part of our being. Its heavy load causes us to suffer strain and pressure to every part that was meant to receive love. We were not designed to carry such unbearable loads.
The Bible says in (1 Peter 5:6-7), “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” Like the cardboard box, we can only carry so much without breaking under the load. It’s wonderful to know that we don’t have to carry those heavy burdens. We can give them to God.
In humanities pathetic attempts to show themselves and others how strong and self-sufficient they are, if caution is not observed, they may end up with everything that they hold dear at their feet, buried beneath a pile of regrettable, selfish rubble now emptied from their inner being. The void is so crushing and painful that the biting emotions that follow are incredibly weakening to the point of collapse.
As a person places emphases upon self gratification; the heaping to themselves expensive toys; and pursuing monetary gain; such things can capture one’s thought process. Complacency intensifies and concern for the most important things begins to fade. Blindness with its inconceivable blackness claims another victim, while better judgment takes flight, leaving brokenness in its heap. The blindness is so intense to the things causing the weakness, that when the bottom drops out, their ability to pick up the broken pieces becomes an impossible task, because of the severity of the break.
Attention must be given to what is being packed into our cardboard box called life. The mingling together of that which is precious with those things that are frivolous can only break us; bringing failure to the box, losing everything; the important things with the unimportant stuff.
Removing the non-essentials from our box and replacing them with the fruit of the Spirit and a vision of what God desires for us enables God to not only pour into our box more of His generosity and blessings, but more of Him. He reinforces our box, making it more capable of receiving His abundant giving to the point of overflowing.
When these blessings are pressed down, shaken together and running over, according to (Luke ), people around us reap the benefits. Our desire to be of assistance increases when helping those who may be suffering from boxes that are about to give way. A word of encouragement fitly spoken may save an individual from the same fate that we have experienced or almost experienced were it not for the grace of God.
Our loved ones see us in a different light. We become a new person displaying clarity of vision and soundness of mind, because we learned how to prioritize what is most important. We now have our priorities in right prospective, because of Jesus.
Being an example will help others develop a practical and successful strong box for themselves, with God's help. A word of caution from us can help them see the importance of not placing so much emphasis upon money, fame, or material gain. Being a friend will help that person realize the goodness of friendship. You may be the means of saving someone from a devastating collapse in their life by just being their friend and caring enough to share truth in love.
Love, understanding, giving, compassion and friendship are the under girding factors that bring forth life, and that more abundantly. When we allow God to make ready our fragile boxes with His fibrous tape of love, we need not worry or fear that the bottom is going to drop out. In Him there is stability and strength.
Written by,
Papa Boyd
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