One of my favorite parts of the creative process is out-of-the-box thinking. I love looking at limitations and figuring out ways to blow past them.
Not enough money? What if we get corporate sponsors. Not enough time? What if we crowdsource this idea to the people we’re trying to reach and let them help us.
I train myself to see a limitation or rule, question it, and see if I can break it or bend it. It’s a huge part of the innovation process. But one of the limitations that could actually hurt you if you break it is a limitation God puts on you.
Thinking of the story of Gideon. God called Gideon to limit his massive army down to 300 people. Gideon could have easily broken past that limitation and gotten more fighters. Heck, he could have strapped knives onto cows or sheep and caused a stampede to sweep through the Midianite camp. It would have probably taken a few people out.
But God’s limitation was there for a reason. The creative solution God had for Gideon required that their be a small, coordinated shock-and-awe attack in the Midianite camp.
I’ve found, God’s limitations are often His guidance to help us discover the creative solution to our problems. When God tells you:
- “Build your church the slow way. Don’t get funding from an organization.”
- “Don’t partner with that business man who could help you grow your business three times bigger.”
- “Don’t go to that school dance. Make friends a different way.”
We can easily see those limitations as negative things. It can seem like God’s just getting in our business or controlling our lives like a puppet master.
But I truly believe that within those limitations lies a unique opportunity that God wants to show you. You just need to find it. And God’s creative options are far better than anything we could dream up.