Think Inside the Box

By Laura J. Bagby
CBN.com Sr. Producer

CBN.com – Last summer I spent a couple of days away from Virginia Beach on a mini vacation. As one of my mementos from that weekend experience, I purchased a smooth, wooden box with a lid that slides open at the pressure of your thumb. Diminutive in size, it probably wouldn’t hold more than a nickel. But it was significant to me because etched into the top of the lid were the words FAITH.

That unassuming little box wasn’t my first choice. There were many other boxes to choose from that I originally liked better. I debated about purchasing the box labeled HOPE or PEACE or even LOVE. But for some reason, the FAITH box was the one I kept picking up. For some reason, it seemed to fit.

Now that trinket rests on my dresser, and I notice that I am looking at it more and more these days. I am often reminded of what my roommate told me recently when I sheepishly showed her the box. I was bemoaning the fact that it was too tiny to really hold anything of value, but she had quite a different perspective. With the kind of thoughtful wisdom that God has blessed her with, she said to me, “Oh, just think how many mustard seeds it can hold!”

I immediately thought of that biblical passage “if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).

A mustard seed is a miniscule, round dot about 1 mm in diameter. But, amazingly, out of that puny seed comes a plant big enough for birds to nest in.

That’s when I realized it was time to think inside the box.

We as Christians can concentrate so much on the exterior, on the visible, that we forget to realize that what matters most is what’s being formed on the inside, what is often unseen. It’s what can and will be done in the Spirit when we are submitted to God that we should be focusing on, because if what’s inside is birthed of God, it will multiply and produce a harvest of righteousness.

What’s planted on the inside of you?

If it’s bitterness, resentment, and discord, I pray that you will humbly come before God and ask Him for forgiveness and that He would fill you with Himself.

Now, look again. What does God want to see birthed in your life? What overarching character trait(s) does He want to develop in you? What spiritual treasure does God wish for you to hold?

For me, at the moment it’s faith. For you it might be peace. Perhaps you don’t know for sure. It might take a little while to see it. But don’t despair. We might often be persuaded to think of ourselves as just pitiful little vessels without much value to Jesus. However, we must remember that the Holy Spirit lives down in the recesses of our hearts if we truly have made Christ Lord of our lives and He grants us significance. Allow Him to fill the empty spaces. Allow Him grow what He desires.

May we all revel in the fact that in the end, in whatever form or expression, we will, by the power of the Holy Spirit, contain His glory. And that is the ultimate gift.

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