Thinking Outside the Box

You are driving along in your car on a wild, stormy night. You pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for the bus: 1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die. 2. An old friend who once saved your life. 3. The perfect man (or) woman you have been dreaming about. Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there could only be one passenger in your car? Think before you continue. This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once actually used as part of a job application. You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first; or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back. However, you may never be able to find your perfect dream lover again. The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his solution. He simply answered: "I would give the car keys to my old friend, and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the woman of my dreams." The moral of this scenario is never forget to "Think Outside of the Box." When you think about it in relation to our spiritual lives we are called upon to do the same.  For productive ministry we must always be open to new ways of doing things. That’s where the Holy Spirit comes in. Jesus said “He will show you things to come.”  Most often we relegate this promise to the interpretation of Scripture. I believe it far exceeds that. When given the opportunity the Spirit will lead us into new ways of capitalizing upon the lost. This might come in the form of a different strategy for witnessing, a deeper approach to worship, or a greater understanding of one’s giftedness. The end result will be greater effectiveness. However, one weakness that tends to cripple the church is the belief that a different method of ministry excludes all others preceding it. When one begins to think out of the box it does not mean that all other forms of ministry sharing semblance with the new idea suddenly becomes null and void. Rather the opposite is true. Embracing change means that we utilize some of the old along with the new and when mixed together productivity is realized. As with the questionnaire mentioned earlier, the job applicant did not discard any part of the equation. His philosophy embraced a spirit of inclusion which allowed every prospect to become a part of the solution. Be assured the Holy Spirit wants us to use the theological, the philosophical, and the practical to have the most impact upon the kingdom.  Yielding to His expertise means that we will work out of the box often. It also means that we will never find ourselves unemployed. Our ability to “think out of the box” will always qualify us for the next assignment.