“Unlocking Greatness”
Dear writer, I hope you had an inspiring week that fed your creativity! This week, we’ll explore a tool that can help keep your inspiration thriving and your conversation with the Lord flowing. That tool is an out-of-the-box mindset.
You see, writer, in all of life there is a temptation to find what works and stick with it. After all, we like success and want to emulate what’s successful. The only problem is that, while repetition can bring a degree of success, it can also create ruts that stunt our growth and lock us out of the new and unique ideas God intends to express through us. That’s why developing an out-of-the-box mindset is key. But before we dive in, let’s look at some out of the box thinkers…
Out-of-the-Box in History
Nikola Tesla was an out-of-the-box thinker. From a young age, he was fascinated by demonstrations of electricity and its power and sought to learn all he could about it. But as he went to college and began to study and research in earnest, he didn’t stop at what the books and studies had to say. Tesla’s burning curiosity and unlimited approach to the subject led to his own personal exploration and experimentation with electricity and, eventually, to his invention of the AC current that runs, today, through power lines everywhere. Can you imagine if Tesla hadn’t imagined? And had simply stopped with that the books taught?
In the same way, as you grow in the craft of writing, you’ll need to keep your curiosity open and engaged. After all, most great masterpieces were groundbreaking at the time. (Just take a peek into Tolkein’s story for more on that!*) It was often only after these great works were published that people began to emulate their artistic choices and style. Many great works of art were made by pioneers. But the good news is…anyone can be a pioneer. Let’s continue…
Out-of-the-Box in the Bible
In the Bible, Solomon was an out-of-the-box thinker. When tricky justice situations arose, Solomon bypassed traditional either/or approaches to rendering judgment. Like with the two prostitutes and the dead baby, Solomon’s creative solutions sprang from his God-given wisdom and enabled him to get to the heart of a matter and to ensure true justice was served.
It’s the same with our writing. Sometimes what gets to the heart of our story or our readers might require an approach that has never been tried before. There may be a unique format or timing or delivery method that’s needed. Giving yourself freedom to explore and experiment gives God space to speak, and like Solomon when we are actively seeking for His wisdom, He will often bypass seemingly hairy and immovable dichotomies with a simple “third way” solution.
Out of the Box in Life
In my life, out-of-the-box thinking prepared me for our three-month stay in Uganda. First, by freeing Jared and I to lead a very unique lifestyle that allowed us to pack up and leave. And second, by giving us a willingness to do and try some unusual things. Like renting out our house fully furnished with all of OUR stuff in it to offset our costs. Later, our outside-of-the-box thinking helped us establish a whole new pattern of life while we continued to live, for a time, a very nomadic lifestyle. This out-of-the-box approach led us through a season that fueled and shaped us for the work we do today.
Out-of-the-Box in Your Life
Here’s the thing, writer. Outside-of-the-box thinking is simply embracing curiosity and a willingness to be and do what is different for the sake of what is MOST important to you and to God. It’s a willingness to release some things that are familiar but might be holding us back, and to grab hold of what seems unusual or intimidating or scary but will move you toward your real goals. In short, it’s an openness to God’s movement in our lives and a responsiveness to His leading. And here’s the beautiful thing.
Where our God-given vision needs out-of-the-box thinking and action, He has already gone ahead of and prepared the way. All He needs from us is our trust and perseverance. Let’s take a look…
- “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10
- “‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and [a]mighty things, which you do not know.’” – Jeremiah 33:3
- “Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.” – Isaiah 43:18-9
- “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” – Galatians 6:9
- “No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for [a]the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins [b]break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” – Matthew 9:16-17
Isn’t that beautiful, writer? God is a God who is always doing a new thing. God Himself is entirely outside-of-the-box, and part of our goal in knowing Him is to allow Him to reach into and through us in ways that are totally new. Sometimes in ways that are new just to us. And sometimes in ways that are new to the world!
When we lean into Him to let Him express Himself in and through us in fresh and unique ways, we—and everyone we meet—will get to encounter and understand Him in a totally new way.
Where to Start with Out-of-the-Box Thinking
So how do we stretch and make space for God’s outside-of-the-box thinking and movement in our lives and writing? Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Let it be. Sometimes—especially with a brand new story idea, relationship, or endeavor—we need to give space to let a thing “be” what it is. Sometimes, we can nip inspiration and creativity and new things God is trying to do in the bud simply by immediate evaluation and “editing.” Now, don’t get me wrong. Discernment,evaluation, and editing are all critical to life and creativity. But sometimes we need to PAUSE and ask the Lord for wisdom about what we’re seeing before we jump in. In our writing, that can look like writing your first draft without judgment or restriction to see what your story is really about. What makes it unique? How can you truly help it grow? After all, you don’t start disciplining a baby…until after it’s born.
- Ask for wisdom. Ask the Lord for creative ideas and wisdom for your story. For insight into your readers. For strategies to express your message in compelling and relatable ways. For keys to unlock opportunities. The Bible warns that “My people perish for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6) But God also promises to give wisdom to all who ask. (James 1:5) So don’t forget to ask your Father for His help. Our need for out-of-the-box solutions is often an opportunity to rely more deeply on and walk more closely with Him.
- Dream. Once you know what God is doing, take time to DREAM. If money and time and energy were no object, what would your IDEAL book, story, outcome, or scenario look like? Giving ourselves permission to dream breaks open the door for creativity and allows us to find a path toward many things that at first seemed impossible. The key to dreaming is simply to NOT stop yourself halfway. Let your wildest ideas run free. Then—when you’re done—brainstorm ways these “wild” dreams might possibly become a reality. Remember, everything you see—cell phones, airplanes, skyscrapers, etc.—was someone’s “wild idea” once. They simply chose to feed that idea. And to pursue it until it was a reality.
- Have a growth mindset. Don’t take it personally when things fail. Some outside-of-the-box ideas are duds. But when we have a God-dream that requires creative initiative, every failure is simply a data point that gives more wisdom and clarity for the next step forward. Because here’s the thing. If you have a something new on your heart that the Lord is doing, it will meet challenges and difficulties. One of the quickest ways to kill a dream is to assume that mistakes or failure or difficulty are indicators that you are doing the wrong thing. Often, the exact opposite is true! So don’t let failures discourage you. Let them fuel your growth.
- Start small. Sometimes when we’re trying something totally new, it’s good to begin with a low cost probe. Experiment with that new format for one chapter. Research the unique needs of your audience. Interview some potential readers. Learn more about that new opportunity. Take a class or watch a video about the thing you want to grow in. Because here’s the thing. When we intentionally grow our capacity and space to explore our God-ideas and to try new things, we give God space to speak to us in new ways and on new topics.
So writer…if you’ve feel you’ve been asked to do something totally new, or have simply gotten stuck in a rut, I encourage you… Outside-of-the-box thinking is not just a helpful tool to maintain writing inspiration. It’s also a mindset that keeps us open to the Lord and attentive to His heart and intent in our lives and in His Kingdom work. And here’s the beautiful thing.
When we, as it says in Isaiah 33:17, behold our King in His beauty—in His unfathomable and uncontainable character and nature—then we will also see (as the rest of the verse says) the lands afar off. What does that mean? It’s simply this: When we see our King in all His power and glory, we will see the world in a whole new light, writer!!! We will begin to see our lives and work and relationships through the eyes of our King—to whom and with whom all things are possible. And let me tell you, that is a game-changing perspective!
So, I challenge you today. Take a little time to dream this week. To examine. To explore. To see what God is doing and speaking to you. Ask for His wisdom. And then lean into Him as He does a new thing in and through you.
#newthing #outofthebox #wisdom #EveryWriterWriting
