GOOD GUIDES ARE FLEXIBLE (essay 3, Part 1)

FLEXIBILITY: Managing challenges creatively  

“Making the simple complicated is commonplace;
making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.”
Charles Mingus

​After this, Jesus crossed over to the far side of the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias.
A huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because they saw his miraculous signs as he healed the sick.
Then Jesus climbed a hill and sat down with his disciples around him.
(It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration.)
Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him.
Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?”
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Jesus (Feeding of the 5000, John 6:1-13) 

Okay, so Jesus and the disciples went up a hill and sat down.  And a “huge crowd” KEPT following him.
Though Jesus had laser focus on doing His Father’s business, in the day-to-day training of his followers, his creativity is without rival.  We see this in John’s account of the feeding of 5000 men (plus women and children).

Can you hear Jesus ask Philip, “Phil, my man.  Didn’t we pass a WalMart?  Make a grocery run so we can feed these 5000 men plus women and children.”

Philip failed to see the humor in Jesus’ solution: “Lord! That was 3 hours ago! Even if WalMart was right here, all 12 of us working for a year wouldn’t pay for the food.”

John 6:6 lets us in on a secret: “HE was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.” 

 That’s so Jesus!   His question brought up a problem and a solution to it that seemed ridiculous.  Twelve guys and Jesus sitting on a hillside.  A huge crowd stalking them because they wanted to be around Jesus. 
And Jesus wanted to feed them. Which he did. With a boy’s sack lunch. With leftovers.

 This is our God. A God we can believe for the impossible. Whatever the magnitude of our issues, our God has more awe-inspiring solutions than we can ask or think.
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Father of all creativity, I see in your Word, and in the good guides in my life, and especially in Jesus’ life, that bad surprises and unexpected interruptions can become adventures if my focus and trust remain on You.  Teach me flexibility.  Teach me to quickly respond to challenges with humor, to take advantage of teaching moments, to be fully present and responsive to people rather than locked into my own agenda.  And Holy Spirit, work through me to facilitate divine inspiration that creates surprisingly transformational moments out of those unforeseen obstacles. Amen.

NEXT UP: LOVE OF PEOPLE