I've had a couple of silly posts lately, but tonight at womens' group we were looking at a chapter in the book of Luke in the Bible. Basically, Jesus goes back to where He grew up, after preforming all these incredible miracles - healing people, releasing demons from people, raising people from the dead.

When he gets back to his hometown, people are really doubtful that's he's as incredible as the stories they've heard. They know Jesus -- they were around when he was getting his diapers changed and going through the ackward teenage years. That guy is now doing miracles? Yeah right. And Jesus responds by saying that of course people don't get honor in their hometown...he expects this from them.

It's easy to look at the people from where he grew up and think that they are being shortsighted or just plain dumb. But I was thinking about it and I wonder if it was just too hard to imagine Jesus outside of the box that they had comfortably put him in. It was easy to imagine him as a carpenter, brother and son that they had always known. It took alot more effort to imagine him as a Healer, Messiah and Saviour.

So it brought me back to myself and the way I view Jesus. Am I willing to keep Jesus in the little boxes that I've put him in? Consider him only in context of the ways I'm famliar and comfortable with (aka my "hometown" for Jesus)...or am I willing to honor him by letting him reveal the fullness of who he is.

Because the truth is, Jesus isn't honored when I keep him small, safe and comfortable. He's not honored when I try to keep him in the box of how I understand him.

And I don't want to serve a God so small that I can wrap my mind around him anyway!

I must allow him to teach me new things...bring me to new places...and experience parts of him that I never have before, so that I can know him more fully and in reality. But, that means that he must do new things so that I can understand him more fully. If he doesn't operate outside my box and my understanding I'll always see him in the same small ways.

And I pray that he'll keep me on my toes as I race to understand more about him. That he'll save me from my small perspective and safe grounds so that I can experience his fullness -- and in that laugh all my laughter and weep all my tears. Experience it all...and all of Him.