Sandbox Choices

by Kelly Knowlden

A famous author said that our view of God is too low. It is like a child grubbing about in a sandbox hearing mother say, “Come get in the car. We are going to the beach,” and being dissatisfied with having to leave his play. His contention was that often our thoughts of God are stuck to the ‘sandbox’ of the moment. Rather than seeing the glorious expanses of a limitless-oceaned God being part of every moment, we are content to have God be there at our beck and call as we think we need Him.

What I was struck with the other day in thinking about this, was that we are making choices all day long.... and often our choices are sandbox choices. I choose to stay in bed to pray and have my prayer time filled with a dreamy-stream-of-consciousness sort of prayer, rather than the “beach” choice of being a warrior in prayer and getting out of a warm bed to fight the battles against the world, the flesh and the devil. My ‘sandbox’ choice to eat another helping of potatoes “because they taste good” often betrays the joy and delight of “being at the beach” with the surety that eternal things last, temporary pleasures are just that, and that indulging in God’s good gifts makes them to be gods. (“Ultimate pleasure is found right here!”) The sandbox beckons with propped feet and news magazine “because I have to keep up with the news” rather than the freedom of ocean-vistas and endless sand-digging delight of reading and thinking about God’s Word. Choosing to sit and help with homework, choosing to fix a good meal, to hang up clothes when I take them off, to eat all things on my plate without grumbling, to helping sister with her chores, all in the face of having other things I’d rather do, are “beach choices.” You see, my view of God must affect my day to day choices or else He is not really God...something else is.

Is your God “grand beyond thought?” Is He full of resplendent glory, full of mercy and tender com- passion? Is He the One that is coming soon to recompense all men? Does He goad you to action? Let’s lift our eyes above our sandbox shovels and pails to the “beach” which holds endless delight, solid joys and rich treasures evermore.