Feeling Boxed-In

 

Every person living on this planet is hungering for something in their souls. Most people don’t know what this hunger is all about, but they feel the emptiness it leaves. Just as we experience discomfort in our bodies from hunger pains in our bellies, our inner being is uncomfortable with the soul’s persistent hunger. We feel it from the time our eyes open in the morning until the time we go to bed at night. We’re driven to try one more day to figure out what will give us satisfaction, what will fill up our empty places. Most people recognize that something isn’t quite right within, but we look for the quick fixes and instant pleasure to fill our cups. We have personal agendas to tend to and tasks to complete. Most of us convince ourselves that we don’t have time to attend to our souls and feed ourselves the healthy meal that Christ will give us. So, millions upon million ignore his voice and inundate their minds with outside chatter that’s often both toxic and deceptive.

Feeling boxed-in is a result of not being attentive to what’s happening with us internally. This usually starts out as a small issue that can potentially turn into a huge one, because our inner landscape is where the real action happens. This is sometimes a very challenging piece of information for people to grasp. They identify with the physical component of their beings only, and don’t give much thought to the other sides of themselves. 1Thessalonians 5:23(NLT) tells us, “Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.” We learn from this verse that we have three parts that make up the whole of our being, spirit, soul, and body. All three require our attention.

If we focus only on the physical, we run the risk of becoming egotistical and empty-headed; we look good but can’t hold a substantive conversation. If we focus on the soul too much, we might become arrogant but sensitive intellects that are always searching for the next new thought or the next new way to tantalize our senses. Focusing only on the spiritual might make us so spiritually minded that we’re no earthly good. We might be imploding with a tremendous amount of biblical knowledge, but have no idea or experience actually putting it into practice by impacting the lives of others. God’s expectation is that we will bring all parts of us, spirit, soul, and body under the leadership and guidance of His Holy Spirit, who lives within every born-again believer. The Holy Spirit is the person of God’s Spirit, and God has given him to us as a gift. He, God’s Spirit, helps us to remain holy and blameless before our Heavenly Father.

As it relates to our development and biological maturity, our parents, guardians, and/or caretakers play a very big role in molding and shaping us. As we grow, mature, and develop, their opinions about what we should do with our lives and who we should become weighs heavy when it comes to our choices and decisions. In some instances, this has led to us denying our inner selves, or worse, being conflicted within. Despite our inner turmoil, we’ll soldier on and head down a path that seems right, but it leaves us depleted in every way.

Some of us are feeling boxed-in because we chose a path that seemed right to others, but it wasn’t the one we were destined by Heavenly Father to travel. Proverbs 14:12(NLT) tells us “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.” There are many paths a person can choose in life, but God warns us in Proverbs 14:12 to be wise about our choices and decisions, because the wrong ones can be terribly consequential; they can end in death. And it’s not just physical death, but the death of finances, relationships, dreams and aspirations. This happens to many people, because they sense an unhappiness in their souls, but they won’t turn to God through the Lord Jesus Christ so He can help them. Instead, they look everywhere else but to the One with all power.

God has a purpose for each of us, and His purpose has been woven in our spiritual DNA. Yet, we are brought up to deny the reality of this truth. He tells us in Proverbs 3:5-6 to trust in Him with ALL our hearts, and don’t depend on our own understanding, or the understanding of those around us. We should depend totally on God and invite Him into our decision making so that we can be fulfilled, fruitful, and live a meaningful existence. He tells us in the passage of Proverbs 3:5-6 to seek HIS WILL in ALL we do, and He will show us which path to take. This means that we need to seek His Word. Sure, we can learn all sorts of knowledge and information from others and from educational institutions, and some of it is very useful, but only God’s Word is the bread of life.

We can’t refuse to acknowledge God in all our ways and then expect to witness the bounty of fulfillment and treasures that come from following His path. The worries and cares of the world, and all the expectations we carry on our shoulders can cause us to feel boxed in, but God offers us a better way. Whether we realize it or not, everything in us is crying out for the perfection He offers through Jesus Christ.

Feeling boxed-in is not a feeling we have to accept. It is not the natural order that God has ordained. In 2Corinthians 12:9(NLT), He said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” Even with our weaknesses and shortcomings, God will work everything out in our lives, if we will simply trust Him.  2Corinthians 3:17(NLT) says, “For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Through Jesus Christ, God has given us freedom, and in this freedom, we can become all that He has created us to be. Our prayer must be to ask for His forgiveness of our sins. Then, we must ask Him to teach us His Word so that we can be led, guided, and directed on the path that He has ordained for our lives.■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. 

“Feeling Boxed-In”, written for Christian Encouragement and Inspiration© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.