God Doesn’t Fit in a Box—and Neither Do You

Break free from the boxes of limits you were never meant to live in and remember who you belong to and just how BIG God IS!

We’ve all heard the phrase: “Don’t put God in a box.” But what does that truly mean?

It means we stop limiting what God can do, removing the boundaries we try to place around a God who has none. It means we quit trying to shrink the Creator of the universe down to the size of our understanding, which, honestly, is about the size of a mustard seed compared to His grasp of literally EVERYTHING. Not just some things, but ALL!

We see this in scripture in the Old Testament and the New Testament:

• OT: Genesis 1

• NT: Hebrews 1:2

Woven throughout are all the words God has breathed into creation, testifying to His limitless power and wisdom.

Let that sink in for a second. This is the same God who handcrafted galaxies and sprinkled stars across the skies like glitter. The same God who spoke light into darkness… and it listened. The One who shaped mountains, oceans, dirt, bees, flowers, and micro-organisms so small we’ll never see them without a microscope—but He sees them all, because He made them all.

This same God looks down from heaven and knows exactly how many hairs are on your head. Not just yours, but mine, and every single person who has walked, is walking, or will walk this planet. That’s not just creative genius—that’s intimate, intentional, mind-blowing love. Why can we call it love? It's simple:

"For God so loved the world..." John 3:16

The Complexity of Creation

I am constantly in awe of how intricately we are made. Just consider the intricate masterpiece of the human body—bones, nerves, cells, muscles, and organs working in perfect harmony to sustain us. Scientists have spent centuries unraveling the mysteries of the human brain, and still haven't fully figured it out. And now, they've even discovered a "second brain" in our gut! God's detail is truly astounding.

Then there’s nature—dirt that knows how to give life, bees that need flowers, flowers that need water and sunlight. Everything is connected in this wild, wonderful rhythm of creation.

You can’t look at the beauty and order of the natural world and honestly believe it all just accidentally exploded into existence. The Big Bang Theory? It’s just that—a theory, an idea. My faith, however, isn't built on theories. It's built on the unfailing, unchanging, truthful Word of God. And nothing can shake that conviction—no matter how much of a nerd I am for the TV show!

Who Are We Limiting, Really?

Yet, despite God's boundless majesty, we often try to manage Him, and our lives, by putting them into boxes.

We pack our dreams into a box—labeled "logic," lined with fear, and stamped "realistic expectations." We wrap it in words like "wisdom" and "common sense," but truthfully? It’s just fear in a fancier outfit.

We limit God when we reduce Him to what we think is possible. And we limit ourselves when we forget whose image we bear.

That box? It’s not protecting us. It’s choking our faith. It’s stealing our identity. It’s shrinking our purpose.

Because if we truly grasped even a glimpse of God’s glory, we’d see that the box was never holding Him—it’s been holding us. And here’s the twist: it’s not just a box. It’s a prison built from unbelief. If we’re not careful, we'll start worshipping the box itself. We’ll cling to comfort, call it "wisdom," and let a little-g god of fear, pride, or control become our crutch. But that’s not faith. That’s idolatry disguised as safety.

Is this starting to sound familiar? Who is the owner of this box? It’s the enemy—the liar, the deceiver, the thief. The devil keeps you boxed in doubt because he’s terrified of what happens when you step into your God-given identity and purpose.

John 10:10 reveals his agenda: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

Don’t Box the God of Miracles

And still… we do the unthinkable.

We try to stuff the limitless, death-defying, stone-rolling King into the tight confines of our human understanding.

We say things like: "God can’t make this dream real." "God won’t heal this." "There’s just no way forward."

But He is the way where there is no way. He’s the only One in history who created everything from nothing. While we work with what’s already here, He speaks… and galaxies form.

The Box Isn’t Just About God

Now here’s where it hits home: When we say God can’t, we’re not just putting Him in a box. We’re putting ourselves in one, too.

When we believe the lie that we can’t do something—that we’re not good enough, smart enough, spiritual enough, or capable enough—we’re dragging God into our little wooden crate of self-doubt, chaining Him up with us. But God doesn't belong in that box. And neither do you!

Break Free

You were never meant to live in a crate. You weren’t made to shrink, play small, or stay stuck. And that box you feel trapped in? It’s not made of steel.

It’s cardboard. And it’s soggy.

All it takes is one Holy Spirit-powered push, and you’re out. That voice inside telling you “you can’t”? It’s not God. Because God says:

• You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

• With man, it’s impossible, but with God, all things are possible.

• I know the plans I have for you... to prosper you, not to harm you.

You don’t need to find the key. You already possess it: The Trinity—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

That’s your freedom.

That’s your power.

That’s your way out.

The boxes we carry are heavy to us, but never forget the words found in Matthew 11:28-30

Boxes

This theme of "boxes" hit me like a mack truck—unexpected, chaotic, yet impossible to ignore. But this wasn’t a tragedy. This "wreck" was beautiful; failure led to finding, and the mess made room for miracles. It felt like Christmas morning through the eyes of a four-year-old—wide-eyed wonder, unwrapping unexpected gifts.

Months ago, I went to a prayer training at my favorite not-my-home Church in the beautiful town of Pella, Iowa. During the training, we were asked to pray for one another, and we were taught to still our minds and actually listen for what God might want to say to someone else through us.

Quick side note: One thing I’ve learned about God is this: He doesn’t dump the whole plan in your lap. He’s not dropping blueprints. He hands out puzzle pieces—bite-sized, soul-sized revelations, one faithful step at a time. So stop trying to shove the whole sheet cake of clarity in your mouth at once. Savor the flavor of each bite. Trust that more is coming. (Also… now that you’re craving cake, come back. Focus. 😉)

During one of these prayer moments, a woman who’s become like a spiritual mom to me, full of faith and fire for Jesus, prayed over me. Afterward, she said, “I saw you walking up to the cross, carrying a box and you laid the box down at the foot of the cross.”

I blinked, confused. A box? What kind of box? What’s in it? Why am I carrying it?

I journaled about it… sort of. Honestly, I didn’t seek God too hard on it then. So I tucked the image into the back of my mind like a keepsake, trusting He’d unwrap the next piece when ready. And faithfully, He did.

Seasons of Prayer

Fast forward a few months after this prayer training.

I signed up for what that same church calls Seasons of Prayer—a beautiful time of deep spiritual healing with trained prayer ministers who listen, walk with you, and let the Holy Spirit lead. I’ll admit, I was hesitant. Vulnerability isn’t always easy, even in prayer.

But I knew I was in a season of healing. And healing doesn’t start in the heart—it starts in the mind.

During one of those sessions, that mysterious box came back… and this time, it hit like holy confirmation and the sweet taste of the next bite God was to give me.

One of the prayer ministers—someone who had no idea about my earlier box vision—prayed over me and then paused. Gently, she said:

I saw your mind and how it had a ton of boxes scattered everywhere, like you were hoarding these boxes. But Jesus picked up one and started going through it. The box was labeled 'trauma'. He was as calm and collectedly going through the box with gentleness and kindness. He wasn’t disgusted by this box she said. Nothing in the box surprised Him.

I sat there, stunned.

There was no way she could’ve known about the earlier vision of me holding a box at the foot of the cross; I never told her, and these two women have absolutely zero connections with each other.

No way… except God.

And in that moment, I realized something I hadn’t seen before:

Those boxes I’d been dragging around, clinging to, hiding in shame or fear—they weren’t meant to be my prison.

They were meant to be offerings.

The boxes we carry are heavy to us, but never forget the words found in Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest... For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Jesus never asked us to carry these boxes alone. He invites us to lay them down and find rest, not just for our bodies, but for our souls.

They were meant to be carried straight to the feet of Jesus.

To be opened by His hands.

He’s not surprised by your mess. Not repulsed by your pain. He sees the label, knows the contents, and still chooses you, and He still loves you.

And the truth is—I'm still going through the boxes.

Still unpacking lies I didn’t know I’d believed. Still peeling back layers of old wounds, the world left behind. Still letting Jesus reach into the cluttered corners of my mind and speak truth where lies once lived.

This isn’t a one-time fix. It’s not a “pray it once and you’re done” kind of healing.

It’s a process. A holy, ongoing surrender.

Some days, the unpacking is painful. Some boxes, I wish I could pretend weren’t there. But I’m learning to sit with Jesus in the middle of the mess—to let His Word wash over the wounds and speak identity into the brokenness.

Because healing isn’t a finish line—it’s a lifelong walk with the Healer.

And this work? It won’t be complete until the day I see my Savior face to face.

Until then, I’ll keep showing up.

Keep laying down every box.

Keep trusting that what He reveals, He also redeems.

And friend, so can you. ❤️

So don’t view God as a tiny speck of glitter.

View Him as the all-powerful Giant He truly is—matchless, mighty, and overflowing with love and authority.

Because breaking free from the boxes we’ve placed ourselves in isn’t just a personal victory—it’s the kind of breakthrough that makes heaven’s angels rejoice.

That’s why the title is Don’t Put ____ in a Box. It’s blank on purpose—because this message isn’t just for me. It’s for you. So let’s get practical.

I want you to take a piece of paper and fill in the blanks through prayerful consideration:

1. Write out: Don't Put God in a Box. God isn't a speck of glitter; He is a powerful Giant, and He is on my side!

2. Write out: I am no longer going to put _________ (insert your name) in a box. I am going to break free from the soggy box and step into truth. 

3. Then ask God: What boxes am I still holding onto? What’s keeping me stuck, small, or silent?

   Is it…

   Pride?

   Trauma?

   Sin?

   Bitterness?

   Control?

   Perfectionism?

   Fear of failure?

   Fear of success?

   Write them down.

   Name them.

   Lay them at the foot of the cross.

   And then?

   And here’s a deeper layer: Ask yourself if you’ve let any of those things become a little god—something you’ve leaned on more than Jesus.

   
   

   Have comfort and control become your safe place instead of the arms of your Savior? Has fear become your familiar friend, so much so that you don’t even fight it anymore?

   Don’t let the little g god become your crutch. Don’t settle for safety when God is calling you to freedom.

   
   

   Watch what God can do with your surrender. Because when you give Him the box, He doesn’t just empty it—He transforms it.

   You’re not stuck. You’re not forgotten. You’re just one surrendered box away from a breakthrough.

   🕊️❤️

I want to share with you a song my dear prayer warrior sent me after my Seasons of Prayer. I hope it blesses you in the way it blessed me in ways that left me awestruck in wonder of how GOOD God really is.

Dear Lord,

I lift up the woman—or man—you’ve led to read these words. Father, I pray that as they take in this message, they wouldn’t see me, but they would see You. That your goodness, your glory, and your greatness would shine through every sentence and settle deep in their soul.

Remind them, Lord, that You are bigger—bigger than any box they carry, any label they’ve believed, any limitation they’ve placed on themselves or on You.

I pray for a breakthrough. I pray that you reveal the boxes in their minds and that you give them the strength to lay them down at the foot of the cross where they belong.

That this would be the moment their mustard seed of faith begins to grow—into a flame so fierce it ignites everything it touches with the fire of your Holy Spirit.

Let your Word spread.

Let your goodness flow.

Let your grace pour out.

Let your power break chains. And let your love be known in every corner of the earth.

You are not a God to be contained. You are sovereign. You are mighty. You are so much bigger than our small imaginations can comprehend.

Enlarge our vision of You, Lord. Destroy the boxes. And draw us deeper into the wild, beautiful, limitless love of our Creator.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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