THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

“So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” – I Samuel 17:43

REFERENCE:

I Samuel 17:38-50

King Saul, his soldiers, the Philistine army and their champion, Goliath, all knew that battles are won with spears, swords, coats of mail, and shields. It was of the utmost shock to all of them when David decided to fight with sticks and stones. Saul tried to clothe him with his military gear, but David refused. Goliath thought he was a joker, but David was thinking outside the box.

We often are ‘contained’ in our thinking because of the prevalent status quo around us. We are so used to how it has always been (done) that we find it difficult to see how it can also be (done). We think inside the box by accepting the status quo, sticking to the familiar, and going with the usual way of doing and looking at things e.g., “as it was, so it is, and continues to be.” Inside-the-box thinkers are skillful at killing ideas; they believe there is only one way to solve a problem, so they never exert themselves to look for creative solutions.

The future belongs to ‘out-of-the-box’ thinkers, who see opportunities before they emerge; and are ready to challenge and change the status quo. Nobody thought a catapult could be used as a projectile in real-life combat until David did it. We thought letters must be delivered by post until emails and social media; we needed fire to heat our food until the microwave oven, etc. Anything you see today can evolve to become better if you can only think outside the box.

In 1899, Charles Duell, Director of the US Patent Office, said, “Everything that can be invented has been invented.”  He looked at everything around him and concluded by the limitations of his mind that inventions had plateaued. He was clearly in the box because the most innovative and mind-blowing inventions came in the last 70 years. Like Charles Duell, many of us have plateaued in our minds, thinking we have seen the best and done the best yet. No way!

The box is a rigid container with a defined capacity; it represents unimaginative and constrained thinking. Refuse to live in the box. The Holy Spirit is dynamic, and we live in an evolving society. To be relevant, make great strides, impact the world of business, your generation, and the next, you have to look for new ways of doing old things; be proactive, creative, and innovative. Think outside the box: be open, unhindered by conventional limitations, embrace new ways of seeing things, and be willing to explore. Step back and see if the solutions to your problems lie outside the box. God is calling you to seek solutions outside your familiar or usual, because God Himself often works outside the system to fulfill His will.

PHOTO QUOTE

ADDITIONAL STUDY:

Genesis 41:38 and Isaiah 11:2-3

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PRAYER POINTS

+ I become dissatisfied with the dead rituals around me; I am tired of the predictable and the things that have lost their flavor. I desire new ways and new things.

+ Holy Spirit, baptize me with wisdom, knowledge of clever inventions, understanding, and creativity. Help me think outside the box and not restrict the flow of the Holy Spirit.