Thinking Outside of the Box – What Does This Mean?
We have all heard the buzz expression ‘think outside the box.’ Have you ever considered what that really means and how you can apply that meaning to your thinking? You may be surprised that most people do not have the first clue what ‘thinking outside the box’ means or, for that matter, what the ‘box’ really represents.
First, I must explain that the following thoughts are based on my beliefs. Even if you do not adhere to the same beliefs, please consider the premise that I propose. I base my view of the physical world and the spiritual world on my understanding, those things which have been revealed to me, in the Christian Holy Bible.
The ‘box’ to me represents the physical world in which we live. Humans have a tendency to relate everything to some part of this physical world. We define or attempt to define everything that we encounter in relation to the world in which we live. Everything that we encounter must be definable in terms that we accept through our physical experiences. We also tend to try to explain spiritual things in relation to our understanding of the physical thing or world in which we live.
To begin our understanding of ‘thinking outside the box’, we must begin with our concept of ‘time.’ The most difficult concept that humans face is time. We define everything in relation to time. Everything must have a beginning, exist for a defined period of time and have an end. The concept of timelessness or ‘outside of time’ is almost impossible for humans to conceive. When God conceived this world, He separated light from darkness and created day and night. In this He initiated ‘time.’ Time and the passing of time has been, is and always will be a governing law in this physical world. God created time in order for this physical world to function. “Time stops for no one” is an expression that we all have heard.
Your car will not run without fuel, your lights will not illuminate with electricity and this world stops when time stops. From this we can understand that our ‘box’ is our world and ‘our box’ is encapsulated in ‘time.’ Most in this world believe that we are physical being who once in a while have a spiritual experience. Those ‘spiritual’ experiences are merely glimpses into the world that exists ‘outside’ our box. The majority of people who have had a ‘spiritual’ experience immediately drag that ‘spiritual’ experience into their box so that they can analyze it, define it and categorize it in relation to their physical world and time. Here in lies the rub.
There have been innumerable ‘gurus’ and ‘spiritualists’ who claim to think outside the box. They claim to have encountered the ‘spiritual’ world. Most do this for recognition and/or monetary reasons. I’ll concede that the majority of those who say that they have had thoughts outside the box, have peeked into that wonderful world which exists outside the box in which we live and, of necessity, time. They have peeked outside the box and immediately dragged what they have seen back into their boxes for analysis and definition and presentation.
I invite you to think outside of your box. Let me show you just how easy this can be. In the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, God told the reluctant prophet that He knew him before he was conceived in his mother’s womb. In order for God to know us before He put us into this box that we recognize as our world, we must have lived in His world outside of the box and outside of time. We existed as spiritual beings in a spiritual world outside of time. This is, although a forgotten state of being, a real one.
When we pray, truly seeking to communicate with God, we must place ourselves outside of this box. How? Jesus told us that if we love Him, we would follow His commands. He also told us that if we follow His commands, He would abide in us and we would abide in Him. Where is He now? He is at the right Hand of the Father in The Throne Room of God’s Kingdom. If we are in Him then we too are in the Throne Room of the King of Kings. We can speak face to face with the Creator of the universe, outside of our box. There is no need for us to bring that encounter into this world for analysis and definition. When we have truly and sincerely been in the presence of God, others will sense it or feel it.
We cannot bring the encounter into this box but we can bring the experience of His Love with us. It does not need analysis, definition nor does it need to be categorized. It only needs to be experienced deeply to make a profound difference. We do not even need to bring the Love that we encounter there into this world. It’s already here in the form of His Holy Presence through the Holy Spirit.
True ‘outside of the box’ thinking should be enjoyed for what it is without the necessity of translation into physical terms. When we experience this ‘outside of the box’ thinking, it will make a profound and deeply changing effect on every area of our lives.
Tags: Concept Of Time, Physical Experiences, Thinking Outside Of The Box