You Can’t Compartmentalize God

You can’t compartmentalize God. Trust me, I’ve tried.

It’s not that I’ve tried to box God in. But rather, kept parts of my life separate from him.

So it’s funny, my brother-in-law is 9 years younger than my husband. When I first met my brother-in-law, he was about 15 or 16 years old and it never failed that halfway through dinner, he would ask his mom what was for dessert.

There’s Always Room for Dessert

In the house I grew up in, dessert was a specialty. Well, except for the ginormous bowl of ice cream my dad scooped up for us every night during our movie time.

But my mother-in-law was always (always) prepared with homemade dessert and every night when my brother-in-law would ask for dessert, the conversation went something like this:

        MIL: You can have more <insert whatever we were eating for dinner>.

        BIL: My dinner compartment is full. But my dessert compartment isn’t.

He’d slyly smile at his mom and wait in anticipation for the answer.

We all know that both dinner and dessert are going to the same place. But somehow, we mentally keep that dessert section of our stomach separate.

When We Hold Back

When I think about my BIL’s compartmentalized stomach, I snicker because you and I both know he’s not wrong. No matter how full we are there’s always room for dessert, right?

Ironically though, my life is often like his belly.

Every day I pray to be fully filled by God. I want him to use me in whatever capacity He chooses. I pray for His spirit to flood me. I pray for His hand to be upon my children, our finances, my business.

But secretly I’ve been holding back.

I’ve realized lately that I’m only letting him into the parts of my life that I ‘think’ he would (or should) be concerned with.

Let me give you some examples:

For the longest time, I held God at arm’s length when working through my anxiety. I only partially “cast my cares upon him” like scripture tells me to do in 1 Peter 5:7. Why? Because it wasn’t God’s fault that I had spent my life living in perfectionist mode or that I hadn’t learned proper calming techniques to keep my angry outbursts under control.

Your Struggles Are Not Insignificant to God

How about how I’ve kept him apart from my weight issues. God didn’t cause the extra pounds to pack on, so why should I cry to him when maybe I haven’t exercised as much as I should have or I’ve consumed too many calories or eaten foods that are wrong for my body?

You see, I kept these compartments separated because I felt like these things are insignificant to God or are things I’ve allowed to happen, so why should he have to clean up after me?

But my friend, I was so wrong in keeping God out of these areas.

He already knows my struggles. He already knows yours. But when we hold back from asking him to help us through our struggles, we are limiting our belief that God is bigger than anything that we may face.

We Limit Ourselves From Receiving

We are limiting his capabilities.

We are limiting our intimacy with Him.

We are limiting how we allow Him to work in us and through us.

And it breaks my heart to think that I’ve withheld any of myself from the one who gave Himself for me. He came because he loves me. He came to save me. And He did the same for you.

What if today, we decided to let God into all our compartments?

What if we allowed Him to fill us completely?

What if while you’re feasting on the meat and potatoes, you decide to let God’s sweetness, His goodness and love, overflow into your dessert compartment too?

Let’s not put God in a box. Let’s not shut the door to the stuff we think He won’t be interested in. Let’s let Him in fully so we can be fully filled by Him even in the smallest areas of our lives.

You can’t compartmentalize God… and you shouldn’t. He is here for you.


Praying for you, friend!
Alisha Carlson

Do you struggle with anxiety, feeling angry, or being overwhelmed? Visit MsAlishaCarlson.com for more ways to overcome personal struggles and parenting challenges. Also, check out Alisha’s podcast, Real Mom Talk, a show that brings a little sanity, help, and humor to the insanity we feel as a mom!

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