The Freedom Of Limitation – Living Inside God's BoxSample

Even Jesus Had A Box – The Process Box

“Now Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry.” (Luke 3:23)

Imagine, you’ve just had three of the most exhilarating days of your life, rubbing shoulders with experts in their field and engaging your talents, gifts and knowledge at the epicenter of your world. Everyone who hears you is amazed at your ability and words like “prodigy”, “exceptional for His age” and “He’s the best we’ve ever heard” are floating around. Then you hear your mother’s voice:

“Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” (Luke 2:48)

In other words, “Hey Son, enough already … it’s time to come home!”

Though it’s clear from the Temple experience that Jesus knew His purpose – “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49) – He also knew it wasn’t His time. In fact, it would be another 18 years before His time would come. Even with all that talent, even as God in flesh, Jesus couldn’t just operate according to His own schedule. He had to learn to submit to the process-box and wait for God’s time.

“My time is not yet here; for you any time will do.” (John 7:6)

For many this idea of time is at the heart of so much frustration and tension. One of the hardest lessons in life to learn is that the process is as much part of our purpose as the purpose itself. Often we focus on where we want to go whilst fighting the pathway that’s going to take us there. In doing so, we fight the process box.

Jesus could have said, “I’m ready, so why can’t I preach and teach now?” Few would have argued with the cool kid from Nazareth. But had Jesus launched His ministry aged 12, the greater purpose of God would have been lost and the world would look very different.

Embrace the process-box and live present within it. Stop longing for tomorrow and start maximizing today. The walls of the process-box will start closing in on you if you continue to fight it. But when you embrace it and live well within it, though the box is still there, it won’t feel so small!