If you look on the outside of my passport you will see that I am an American Citizen; however, when you look inside, it becomes obvious that I am a citizen of the world. And frankly, I have earned each nation stamp as each culture has indelibly etched its image upon my soul! Whether I experienced success or failure, often in many of these nations a sudden crisis brought out my highest level of creativity! I AM a richly woven tapestry of POSSIBILITY THINKING! And you can be too!
First, SPEND TIME WITH CREATIVE PEOPLE
Whether you are at home, school or busy at the office, spend time with ‘creatives’. These unique souls have practiced the art of turning chaos into beauty and problems into possibilities. Maya Angelou says, ““You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”
Second, LOOK FOR THE OBVIOUS
As the old saying goes… sometimes the answer is right under your nose. In other words, we don’t always need a creative idea but sometimes we just need to choose the most practical or obvious solution.
Third, BE UNREASONABLE. Always give yourself a minute to think! Think beyond what you consider logical!
Fourth, PRACTICE MENTAL AGILITY.
Being open to spontaneous thought is key to cultivating creativity. I dare you to break free from the rigidity of common thinking and everyday expectation! INNOVATION IS INSPIRING!
Fifth, SEE PROBLEMS AS OPPORTUNITIES!
Creativity is fueled when you replace the word problem with opportunity! ‘Opportunity’ is that moment when you decide, no opposition, poverty, or weakness can hold you back!
Time has a way of dimming our expectation and lowering our forecast of good things in the future. God designed prayer to include the expectation of an answer. Jesus often mentions that our Father’s desire is to do good to His children.
In times of delay Jesus mentions to ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened. It is never too late!
When the news came to Jairus that his daughter had died while Jesus was delayed, Jairus was told by Jesus to “only believe.” His daughter will live! Death may be final, but nothing is too late when Jesus is with you!
Jesus needed the faith of Jairus to work with. He knew the bad report would paralyze Jairus as it would us. Grief and sorrow would soon replace faith unless Jesus addressed it. Getting hold of our feelings is important! I believe Jesus was saying to Jairus: “Just stay open to your miracle. Do not shut down. I am bigger than any bad report!”
Friends, never quit and you will never lose!
Scripture: Luke 8:48-50
A few years ago I was speaking in Northern Argentina where I met a young woman who wanted to be well. She said to me, “I came to this meeting tonight for healing! And I know I received my miracle but I don’t want to tell anyone until I’ve returned to the Doctor.”
She was just a teenager and I remember thinking, what could be wrong with this beautiful young girl? A few days later, she again found me after I spoke and this time she was carrying a large brown envelope and smiling from ear to ear!
She had returned to her doctor that day, and he first reminded her that she should give up ANY hope of ever being a mother. Then he continued, “I never would believe this if I wasn’t looking at these x-rays, because I am the one who removed your ovaries and the cyst that had exploded! You now have two normal, healthy ovaries! There is no reason why you can’t be a mother!” He was astonished and she was so excited because her dream was to be a MOMMA! She said, “Leslie, I knew God healed me last night! I just wanted proof so no one could deny what God had done for me!”
Have you ever felt surrounded by chaos? Most people don’t realize that opposition, problems and chaos are often the seed bed for creativity! Why? Creativity flourishes when need arises and solutions are required.
Living in Russia in the early 90’s, I recall walking down the street and picking up a short piece of wire thinking, ‘this is useful.’ I suddenly realized that someone else’s trash had become my potential solution. Lack had forced me to be constantly on the lookout for solutions! That little piece of wire actually solved a plumbing problem we had!
What is a problem? It’s simply the difference between present and future. It is the gap between what you have and what you want. Renowned psychiatrist Theodore Rubin said, “The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem.”
A man once wrote of this experience. As a small town prepared to be flooded before the building of a large dam, a unique thing happened. In the months before the flooding, all improvements and repairs stopped! Why paint a house if it will be destroyed in a few months? As week by week the town deteriorated, the man offered this conclusion, “Where there is no faith in the future, there is no power in the present.”
Hope is the picture of the future. Without that picture there is no confidence to move forward and certainly no power by which to live!
If you need hope today, you’ll find inspiring resources at LeslieMcNulty.com—you will find stories of people just like you discovering hope for everyday life! http://bit.ly/1EEHSMX
God is a partner in our labor working things together for us. What a pleasure it is to trust in HIM, knowing that He is working behind the scenes on our behalf!
Change surrounds each one of us because of difficulties in this natural world. However, in this time of transition we use our faith and our passion to latch on to God’s will, and connect to the wealth that is available for transfer into the hands of those in the kingdom of God.
We are not down and defeated without hope or alternatives, but we are UP…expectant and dreaming of new possibilities in changing times!
Scripture: Romans 8:28
APATHY is THE SUCCESS NEUTRALIZER, the inhibitor of dreams, the limiter of realization, and the thief of progress or life.
Apathy comes for many reasons – an expectation of failure, insensitivity to injustice, and a sense of helplessness. Where apathy exists we find low expectation because initiative is lost, inhibiting our relationships and our opportunity in life.
Ask yourself some simple questions: Where have I set the standard for my life? Is failure my expectation, or is overcoming the impossible where I set my goal in life?
Did you know that apathy has a song made famous by the American singer Doris Day? “Que Sera, Sera… whatever will be, will be…” You can kill motivation by surrendering your emotions, your will, and your expectation to a fatalistic philosophy of whatever, whenever, or whoever.
The Psalmist said, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God…”
Scripture: Psalm 42:11
