Sheri Yutzy - Speculative Fiction Author

  • About
  • Stories
  • Contact
  • Magic Forest Proofreading
You are here: Home / All Posts / Why won’t God stay in my box?

Why won’t God stay in my box?

January 2, 2018 by Sheri

People are confusing. They break promises, grow, move away, change their opinions—they’re hard to trust sometimes.

But God doesn’t change. He keeps His promises. He’s omnipresent, so He couldn’t move away. He should be easy to trust.

Then why are we often confused by what He’s doing? Life can seem normal until pain arrives and we’re left wondering why God let it come in the door. Even when we see pain in someone else’s life, the same questions haunt us. What is God doing? Did I do something especially bad to deserve this? What if something worse happens?

These questions are hooks that we sink deep within our understanding of God. We are trying to understand Him, yes, but also not to let go of what we already think we know about Him. The trouble with clinging to our old understanding is that we’re blinded to His true nature. We can’t see His endless grace if we’re so focused on what’s in our hands.

If we want to see the true God, we must willingly release our death grip on the boundaries we’ve set for Him. Instead of despairing that our hard-hearted coworker will never surrender to Jesus, we must let our faith soar. When a dear friend makes a painful, foolish choice, we must beg the God of limitless redemption to show her the way back to wisdom.

Drop the box, and the pretension that we can decide how far God is willing to go. Lay down our careful patterns for the Master of the Universe and let Him weave beautiful healing all around us. He’s waiting for us to look up from the bottom of our empty box and see Him, huge and powerful, holding the world up. He knows our tendency to box Him in, and He is ever working to dispel our delusions of control.

Giving in to confusion when God is working is the same as giving up. We are apprenticed in His grace, but we are not masters. His work will go on whether we understand it or not. And because we are still learning grace, He often calls us to trust Him without seeing the end result.

So even if you’re confused about something in your life right now, give it to Him. He is a patient and loving Master, and He will help you trust Him.

How do you react when your boundaries are jostled? Tell me about it in the comments below.

Filed Under: All Posts

Comments

  1. Jebraun says

    January 3, 2018 at 7:52 am

    Such good questions , Sheri. I try to remind myself that God is good, all the time, when things don’t go the way I expect. And He constantly astounds me with His grace and mercy in the midst of it!

    • Sheri says

      January 5, 2018 at 2:43 am

      Thanks, Jeb. Yes, He is so patient with us!

  2. Annalisa Byler says

    January 15, 2018 at 9:38 pm

    “He’s waiting for us to look up from the bottom of our empty box and see Him, huge and powerful, holding the world up.” I love that picture. Me, a puny human, peering down into the shadowy corners of my box in alarm, looking for Someone who was never there. Crying out in anger, “ Hey! Where did my God go?” I thought I was holding and containing Him, but that could never be. Instead, He’s been the One holding me.

    • Sheri says

      January 19, 2018 at 9:46 pm

      That is a good way to describe it–the anger when God doesn’t appear right where we want Him to be. Thanks for your thoughts, Annalisa!

  3. Lori Weaver says

    January 18, 2018 at 12:23 pm

    Very real thots I believe everyone deals with at some point in their life. When I was in the depths of my own confusion and questions I did a thorough study of the book of Job. He asked questions. Lots of hard questions…. but then God also asks him questions, and the end result is that we serve a Great and Mighty God who is above all and Sovereign, even when we don’t understand. But always full of so much love, and kind patience for us to accept His will and rest in His plan for us. Blessings as you and Dan prepare for that lil one! Can’t wait to meet her:)

    • Sheri says

      January 20, 2018 at 1:16 am

      Yes, Job dealt with a lot of confusion. That’s a good place to look when dealing with questions. Thanks for your thoughts, Lori! We can’t wait to meet our little girl either. 🙂

Want free stories, discounts, and other forest magic?Join my newsletter!

I like sending free stories to my friends.
Join the list and get a free ebook copy of Stories of the Stars, my speculative short story collection!

About Sheri

Here Goes Something New!

Hi, I'm Sheri Yutzy. I love forests under the night sky, trying new foods, and drinking Irish tea.
I'm married to a musician who looks good in black, mama to two toddlers who love to eat, and happy resident of a Cape Cod cottage in Ohio.
I write YA fantasy and am acquisitions editor at sparkflashfiction.com.
Join my email list for free fiction!

Follow Along

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Find some magic with me!

sheriyutzyauthor

One thing I love about Ohio yards: no matter where One thing I love about Ohio yards: no matter where I go, I can always find a little patch of whimsical greenery somewhere that whispers spring is here. My yard right now is strewn with little branches and dried plants from the flowerbeds and old, brown leaves. But soon the grass will grow tall and we’ll gather the branches and everything will be lush and green again.
Fairy tales always seem like a spring thing. The curses end in spring, the eggs hatch in spring, the weddings happen in spring. But I love to see the magic woven into each season, each so different, preparing the earth for the next phase.

What whimsically green corners have you found this week?

#whimsicalwednesday #sheriyutzy #whimsicalgreen #whimsicalcottage #whimsicalspring #whimsicalgarden #yafantasyauthor #hanschristianandersen #bestlovedfairytales #fairytales #springfairytale #magicalspring #magicalcottage #booksoutside #slowliving #changingseasons #marchgreens
🌿✨🌿 Enough words in the world Enough bulbs 🌿✨🌿
Enough words in the world
Enough bulbs budding 
And stretching their hearty arms
Like solid poems, fragrant poems
The world outside is living poetry.
🌿✨🌿

#twentywordtuesday #poetsofinstagram #springpoetry #ednastvincentmillay #springinthegarden #poetryoutside #moodycottage #sheriyutzy #shortpoems
Mondays do odd things for me as an introvert. (By Mondays do odd things for me as an introvert. (By introvert I mean I need solitude to recharge.) 
🌿🌿🌿
Here’s what I mean. By the end of every week I’m ready to see my people, engage in my church community. And by the end of Sunday? I’m ready to be alone again. My kids usually are too, so they spend Monday playing pretend together and I lurk around catching up on housework, reading a book, and gazing out the window, enjoying my own inner silence. (It’s not super silent outside of me, but that’s okay.)
Monday is just lovely, because I’m filled up and rich with community, and I have a whole day to be home and ponder that fullness.
Yes, sometimes I want to be with adults after hearing children chatter all day, but most of the time their conversation is refreshing.

How do you find Mondays? Do you like to get started on the week, or would you like to stay in the weekend?
The wisteria is budding, and will soon be spreadin The wisteria is budding, and will soon be spreading its sunshine across the yard. Our bush was here when we moved and I’ve been so grateful for it. It blooms so early, the brightest thing around.
This weekend was a bit crazy. I did some new things, like make meatballs for a crowd, and juggle three Airbnb guests’ requests at once, and change a car key battery while away from home (thank God for the extra battery in the glove box) but here I am at Sunday afternoon, my time to take a look at the week before, and everything worked out.
I know it doesn’t always, but for today, I am grateful.

What made you grateful this weekend?

#wisteria #buddingwisteria #sheriyutzy #gratefulsunday #kingdomofashandbriars #hannahwest #yafantasyauthor #booksoutside #slowliving #gratefulliving #moodycottage #cottagegarden #intentionalliving #gratefulthoughts #springtimeblooms #timeforspring
Load More... Follow on Instagram

My Book Progress

Spiraldown
Phase:Writing
31.8%
MyBookProgress by Author Media

Goodreads

Let’s keep in touch!

You'll be the first to know about new discounts, free stories just for subscribers, and beta reader openings. Feel free to sign up!

© 2023 Sheri Yutzy | Site by EY-PHOTO-WEB

 

Loading Comments...