The Refrigerator Box

I never imagined it could be so much fun.
The delivery came to our garage.
The old one was put out near the curb on bulk pick-up day.
The new one was humming quietly in our kitchen.

The refrigerator box proved to be a welcome addition to my children’s play.
Much taller than the oldest child, it was the perfect house.
It was the perfect castle.
It was easily decorated but that is where the decisions needed to be made.

Markers were given to the four of them so the decorating could begin.
Four sides to the box, four children who wanted to draw.
The youngest could only watch as the ruckus went on around her.
Each of the other four had their own ideas as to how the box should look.

Disagreement, compromise, and finally the decision.
Each would decorate his or her own side.
An empty slate on which to draw.
A conglomeration of talent and ideas when they were through.

An interesting structure to say the least.
Door and windows were cut out by their dad.
Just the perfect size.
Just the right dimensions.

It was easy to see which side belonged to the girls and which side belonged to the boys.
I suggested that sister work next to sister and brother next to brother.
I knew that the box could be turned in such a way to accommodate preference.
Two sides met to make a girl’s structure and two sides met to make a boy’s.

They thought it was the greatest.
The girls drew curtains and kitchen appliances inside.
The boys determined the windows were really lookouts in the castle wall.
The boys even drew squares, depicting bricks, on the two sides they designed.

The castle-house was their cooperative project for days on end.
It was cold outside when the refrigerator was delivered.
Consequently, this project happened inside in our family room.
I would look in from the kitchen and watch the Michelangelo and Rembrandts in action.

For at least a week, the castle-house was creatively designed.
For the next week, the castle-house was the center of their playtime.
The following week, the castle-house seemed to lean a bit precariously.
The week after that, the castle-house was completely flat.

For one month, a box was the center of creative play and togetherness.
Four weeks of organization, cooperation, and imagination.
Nothing store bought could have been as wonderful.
They poured themselves into this project and were very sad when it needed to be recycled.

If asked, they remember playing with the refrigerator box and having great fun.
If asked, their best memories were homemade and did not come from a store.
Lifelong skills were being learned during the process.
Working together towards a common goal, learning while playing with a box.

Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is there are many parts, but one body…But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. (1 Corinthians 12:14-20, 24-27)

Each one of us is part of the body of Christ.
Each one of us has a job to do in that body.
No one is more important than another.
Each of us is needed to help the body function properly.

Sisters work alongside sisters, and brothers with brothers to accomplish much for God.
Learning to work together in our differences.
Focusing on the common Kingdom goal: helping others to know the Lord Jesus.
Bringing our unique gifts to the table to glorify Him and make Him known.

No elaborate programs, no store bought curriculum.
Just God’s Word and the individual way He has gifted each of us.
The Holy Spirit will take our little bit and blend it with another to create God’s structure.
We are living stones in His House.

As you come to Him, the Living Stone, rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him, you also, like living stones are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:4,5)

Life skills doing Kingdom work.
Side by side, bringing our own uniqueness to the task at hand.
There will be joy in the memories.
The Structure will be magnificent.