Living In A Box

We like to stay in our comfort zone. We like familiar things where we feel in control, where things we do not like are not welcome and are eliminated as soon as possible. In a way, we live in boxes that we create ourselves in order to preserve and protect our way of thinking and living. Call it our comfort zone, view of life, or worldview, we all have indirectly or directly built a box for ourselves to live in, and we do not venture out of this box by choice. For we like our box.

Some might disagree with me and say that they do not have a box, but live free from these restraints. But in saying that, they have created their own personalized box. But in reality, even the most free-spirited person creates limits and restraints for their own lives. It is how we feel safe and in control. And having and maintaining control is ultimately what we are after.

Here are my thoughts on this, and the reason for this post: the question is not do we create for ourselves certain limits and ideas for our lives. We do. There are things we will do and things we will not do based upon our pre-determined decision to live in our own box. Sure, we can be convinced, coerced, or manipulated to take steps outside the lines of our philosophical foundation, but when we do, we do not like it very much. If we do like it, then the sides of our box changes shape, thus we have a new box. My point is not to argue if we live in a box, rather to bring up the idea that I think very few people ask the question, «Is my box a good box that can withstand time, trials, life, and even death?» «Is my box built by truth?»

For most people, I believe they build the limits of their thinking, living, and worldview upon what gives them most immediate peace and affluence. I get this thought from the book «How Should We Then Live?» by Francis Shaeffer. It is a great read and I would highly recommend it. For the majority of folks, how they practically live their lives and make decisions on right and wrong is determined mainly by what will give them the less troubled life as possible (undisturbed life to do what they want) and what will give them the most personal materialistic prosperity.

The problem with operating life this way is that there is no foundation to build upon. This worldview is based upon making each individual their own personal god and allowing them to determine right and wrong for themselves. It sounds nice at first, but it is built upon a vain attempt to find personal fulfillment outside of the one true God. It is like a straw hut that will crumble to the ground with the blow of the many bad wolves in our world. It creates a false sense of control in thinking that one can and even should be able to do what they want, when they want, and how they want. Practically, this is a very unreasonable way to think and live. It could work for a while if one lived on a desert island all by themselves. But, eventually, loneliness and depression would set in. Yes, that person could make any and all the decisions they want, but there would little to no fulfillment in that kind of life. If a second person were added to the island, and each decided that they were going to do what they wanted, how they wanted, and when they wanted, eventually (and probably sooner than later) they would have conflicting thoughts, opinions, or ways of operating the island. The problem them becomes, who decides who is right and gets their way? The strongest?

Our boxes must have a foundation. A solid one. One that has and will stand the test of time, trials, suffering, sickness, and yes, even death. When we build our lives on anything else the best we can have is a false security. We might feel safe in that kind of box, but it is not real. To tell ourselves that living in that kind of box is right and good is to lie to ourselves and living blind to truth. It is an imaginary world that does not exist.

Many build their box upon the thinking that they can live how they want, determine their own truth, right and wrong, and way of thinking, and God will still and even must excuse their behavior and unbelief in His word. They believe that no matter how they live, they will make it to heaven and enjoy eternal life. They have formed god in their own image. This kind of god is no more powerful and no more real than the baby doll that my girls used to make talk and move as they played. There is one major problem with this box. The foundation is imaginary and not based upon anything that God has actually said. It actually rejects what He has said.

Many build their box upon the worldview that God does not exist, so it does not matter how they live, what they do, or what they think is right and wrong. They believe we are simply biological machines, products of chance and time, and there will come a day when we will simply cease to exist. So, what box we build is irrelevant, nor all that important. Again, this philosophical stand is void of truth and seeks to dismiss reality in order to live autonomous to anything or anyone superior than ourselves.

Neither of these two ways of living are based upon truth nor can they sustain real life. We live every day expecting others to do right around us and not do evil to us. That idea in itself screams loudly and boldly of a moral God who gives us universal moral laws. We might not like what He has determined as right and wrong, but we practically cannot escape living our lives with the idea of a moral-giver. We sound tough and independent when we claim to be in control of our own lives, yet in the end of the day, we are not in control. And we know it. And it bothers us. But, we ignore it. We suppress the truth in order to live the way we want to live and decide our own rules. The difficulty we face is when others do not play by our rules. They have their own rules. The result is chaos, fights, quarrels, divorce, adultery, lying, abuse, manipulation, slander, and gossip. Practically, we cannot live as our own moral-giver. Practically we can see that life cannot exist very long without a moral-giver. Anarchy can sound freeing, yet its application is devastating.

See, God has created us to know Him, love Him, and worship Him. He has given us His word so that we can build our boxes according to His truth. His truth (Jesus Christ, John 14:6) has defeated death and offers hope to all who will build their lives upon it. The security that this foundation offers is sure, lasting, and fulfilling. All who build on this foundation acknowledges that they are not in control. He is. And it is good. We all build boxes. The question is, are we building it upon truth, or our own version of it? All who build upon their own version of truth will eventually be crushed. For eventually the big bad wolf of death will huff and puff and blow that box down, and at that point it will be too late to run to brink house with the solid foundation.