The Perils Of Creative Thinking
Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Proverbs 2:2 NLT
In grade school, my teacher was talking about the possibility of solar powered cars. A sincere question came to my mind. I raised my hand and asked, “How would these cars run in the dark?” My teacher was angered by my question. I can’t recall if she actually called it a stupid question, but she sure made me feel stupid! She told me that, obviously, there was a battery that stored power for night time, and then said I should stop thinking of stupid questions.
I was hurt. I thought I had asked a good question. (I just now took a moment to Google it, and it appears I am not the only person who has ever asked that question.) Tuning your ears to wisdom and concentrating on understanding can take you outside the box. I have learned a lot of people don’t like to think outside the box.
Another time, in the same grade, we were talking about islands. The teacher said an island is a body of land surrounded by water. I then made the honest observation that every continent or group of continents is an island, since eventually they all reach water. My teacher got mad and told me to stop acting so silly. I honestly was not trying to act silly. I was taking the teacher serious and literally, and literally every piece of land, no matter how big, eventually meets water on every side, and thus by my teacher’s definition is an island. The piece of land which makes up North, Central and South America is surrounded by water, and thus, the Americas are an island, according to the information my teacher gave me.
I have had several people over the years tell me that they appreciate my sermons and writings because I make them think of things they have never thought of before and see God’s love in a way they never had before. People call that creative thinking. It’s a good thing, but it comes with risks. When some people say, “I never thought of it that way before” they mean that is brilliant. When others say, “I never thought of it that way before” they mean that is stupid! My creative thinking has led people to Jesus, while at the same time causing others, like my teacher, to think I am just being silly.
I first served as a head elder of a church when I was 22, and some people thought I was too immature to be a head elder. I probably was. Probably still am. Some of my ideas they thought were silly. For example, I started prayer meetings at 7:23. Why such an odd time? Because that way people would not have a hard time remembering if it was 7:00 or 7:30. 7:23 sticks out in the brain. Plus who says you have to start at 7:00, 7:15 or 7:30? Since then I have noticed how many sporting events and things start at 7:07 and other “odd” times.
In another church district I served as a lay pastor, one of my churches had an adult Sabbath school teacher who was out on vacation. I could not find a replacement in that church, so I asked one of the teachers in my other church to come over and teach the lesson. They thought the idea of teaching Sabbath School in any other church than their own was just unheard of and too strange to fathom. It took me a while to coax them out of their little “box” but I finally did.
My point is that a lot of ideas some people find laughable, others find brilliant. So I am happy when people tell me I make them think outside the box. I think the box should be thrown away.
Some people however, believe the box is sacred. They want every Bible study on the Sabbath or any other topic to be exactly the same as all the others, by asking the exact same cookie cutter questions, followed up by the exact same cliche answers. I have had unchurced people come to my Sabbath School class, because they simply were not allowed to ask certain questions in other classes.
I believe Jesus was grieved by narrow minded thinking when He talked about old wines skins (narrow minded thinking, paralyzed in cliches and traditions) not being able to hold new wine (new ideas and methods). See Mark 2:22. Jesus thought the old wine skins should be thrown away, like I think the box should be thrown away.
Jesus lived outside the box Himself. Off-beat ideas like praying for God to bless your enemies, going the extra mile, and a little child being the greatest, really had people thinking in ways they never had before. But with a little wisdom and understanding, people realized He was not so crazy after all.
I’m writing this just to let those who think outside the box know they are not so crazy. God created us in His creative image. We see His creative thinking both in creation and in the plan of redemption. Therefore when we “let this mind be in us, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5) we will have minds that think creatively like Jesus.
When Jesus went to raise a little girl from the dead (See Mark 5:35-43) everyone laughed at Him when He said she was asleep. His way of thinking attracted a lot of mockery and ridicule, but He saved a young girl’s life and that was no joke! I don’t think Jesus was concerned about what the others thought about Him that day. He was there for one reason only – to bring salvation.
If people laugh at you and your way of thinking and explaining things then so be it! God, in His wisdom, made each one of us unique and put a little of His own creativity into us, and we have the privilege to exercise that creativity to His glory. While some may laugh at us, others may finally see God’s love presented in a way they understand for the first time.
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