Pre-Packaged Jesus

Jesus isn’t prepackaged. He doesn’t fit into one of those pre-made dinners we all love to grab when we are in a hurry. He doesn’t fit into our agenda. He was never meant to. If Jesus isn’t making you a little uncomfortable, if you aren’t feeling like you have to wearily step out of the box you have built around yourself, then it may be time to check your relationship with Him.

We are a “ready made” culture. We see this heavily when it comes to food. Look, I LOVE food. So, whenever I get a chance to talk about food, you better believe I am going to jump on that gravy train. Everyone loves food. We are so lucky to live in an era where food is at our fingertips 24/7. It doesn’t take much effort for us to get our food these days. I just picked up my groceries this morning. I took about ten minutes on my Walmart app yesterday and ordered all the things. Then, this morning, I headed to the Walmart parking lot in my warm car (seat heaters on, of course) and had someone else load said groceries into my car. What is life? If this is all there is, I am down.

Everything fits in a nice neat box. Prepackaged and ready to eat. The only preparation is pulling back the lid and popping it in the microwave. Easy peasy. Sadly, this is where we try and place Jesus: in a prepackage box that has an easy open lid.

Jesus doesn’t fit into our prepackaged meals. He isn’t a cookie cutter one-size-fits-all deal. Jesus presses and pushes against the norm. He challenges the walls of our boxes and tears them down.

Jesus lives outside our boxes and wants us to live there, too. We like the confines of our prepackaged meals, though. It’s safe. We know what to expect. Anything else, frightens us and we run the other way.

Jump over those walls. Push past those barriers. Don’t hide or run when Jesus presses in and pushes you through. This is where growth and freedom happen; where reckless love and unrelenting grace reside.

Jesus didn’t come to this earth to be put in a box. He came to thrive in our hearts. Let Him blow up your box today.

“And that is why Jesus suffered outside the city gate, to sanctify the people by His own blood.” Hebrews 13:12

Love & Blessings,

Meg