Altered Box
By Lisa Boyer
“You were taught, with regard to
your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by
its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put
on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Ephesians 4:22-24 (NIV)
Every couple of years at work, we set aside a few days to clean the office. A couple years ago, we were under new management and that management had a much different idea of what clean was. To her, clean was uncluttered - - everything not in use and no longer useful was being discarded. This was serious. A dumpster was literally rolled into our office which we filled several times.
During this process, my coworkers found a few metal card file boxes and I was anxious to know their fate. It didn’t take much to get permission to take them home; after all, they were antiquated office supplies that were no longer useful. But I was excited about having them. I’m sure my coworkers thought I was a bit crazy, but I just couldn’t help it. When I looked at those metal boxes, I didn’t see what they saw; I saw what they would become. The latest crafting buzzword is “altered” and that was my plan for these boxes. If I was successful, those plain metal boxes were going to become works of art.
I altered the outside of the first box with alcohol inks, scrapbook paper and ribbon. I was so happy with how it turned out…until I opened the box. I was so focused on making the outside of the box beautiful, I neglected the inside completely. I had been more concerned with impressing the recipient of the box with its appearance than with the precious possessions the box would someday hold.
It reminded me of how God alters our lives…He begins with the inside…our hearts…He even moves into our hearts in the form of the Holy Spirit. Being altered by God takes a lifetime because we are being altered into His image, from the inside out. Over time He is seen on the outside through our actions, smiles, and attitudes. We are His work of art!
By the way, I brought two of the altered boxes to work to show my coworkers…suddenly, everyone wanted one of those old metal boxes!
GOING DEEPER:
1. Have you been more concerned about your outward appearance than the condition of your heart? Today, will you pray and ask God to alter you into His image from the inside out?
2. As you interact with other believers, will you extend them grace, remembering that they too are in the midst of the altering process?
FURTHER READING:
1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 John 3:2
Lisa has been married to Ted for 23 years and they have two sons
in college. Lisa serves in Quest 56 on Sunday mornings at Oakwood.
