Moses sent 12 spies into the promised land to do some reconnaissance. All 12 saw the same thing but only 2 came back ready for battle. 83% of the group voted to not move forward to claim the land that was promised to them by God Himself. 83% of the group cost the Israelites an additional 40 years of wandering in the desert. It was Mark Twain that said,

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”

When the majority of the people tell you that you should quit…question it.

When the majority of the people tell you that it’s a bad idea…question it.

When the majority of the people tell you that your idea will never work…question it.

When the majority of the people tell you that the obstacles are too big…question it.

Always question the authority of the majority.

Never let the voice of the majority trump the voice of God’s authority. God uses the minority the majority of the time!

There are so many things that I do one way, and one way only. Why? I dunno, I guess the honest answer is…that’s the way I’ve always seen it done, and I don’t ask any questions. I just conform to it. Now, for some things, we’ve figured out a way that’s just better…and we shouldn’t mess with it…like the new guy at Starbucks yesterday that made my Strawberry Banana Vivano by putting in the milk first before the strawberries. And according to the Brew Master that was observing his creation, the order of the ingredients affects the taste and the color…whodathought?

I think the biggest reason that we conform is because we like predictability. It’s safe. It requires no new learning skills. The outcome has been tested. And, it’s what everyone expects.

In my opinion, predictability is overrated, except when you’re on an airplane.

There are some things that I want to be predictable. There are some things that God clearly commands us to conform to. But for everything else, we’re handed a blank sheet of paper! Over the years, history has added lines on the paper that we are expected to color inside. For those that dare to color outside the lines, a new found passion is unleashed!

Conformity produces predictability, Creativity unleashes passion.

Our creative God created us in His creative image. When we shortchange our creativity, we shortcircuit our passion.

This video is a great example of conformity vs. creativity.

What are your thoughts on creativity?

There is a little asterisk beside everything that you say and do. And below that is an unwritten phrase that says, “Whatever you say or do is subject to criticism.” You can’t escape criticism. Trust me, if you are a leader you are being criticized. And even if you are not hearing the criticism, someone else is. By nature, criticism leads to protection. Protection leads to defense. Growth rarely comes out of a defensive posture.

How you handle criticism today molds you into who you will be tomorrow.

Since criticism is inevitable, we might as well embrace it and use it to our advantage. Here are some thoughts on how to handle criticism to your advantage.

• Strip away the emotion from the criticism. This is hard to do since most criticism is saturated in emotion. But listen for what is being said underneath the emotions.
• Instead of trying to protect your motives or reputation, try to see the criticism from the eyes of the criticizer.
• Ask them to elaborate on anything that is not specific. Ask them for examples.
• Mine for the meat, but spit out the bones. There will often be both in the criticism. No need to respond to the bones, just spit em’ out. If you’re not sure if it’s meat or a bone, ask a few close friends to confirm it for you before you dismiss it as a bone.
• If there is legitimacy to the criticism, work through the following questions…

Is there a relationship that needs to be repaired?

Is there a principle that needs to be learned?

Is there a practice that needs to be changed

Is there a sin that needs to be repented of?

• Thank the person for helping you grow as a leader. They just gave you a gift.

How do you handle criticism?

Everybody has an opinion. If you ask people their opinion, they will gladly give it to you. If you don’t ask people for their opinion, they will gladly give it to you unsolicited. Opinions and advice are often handed out like free candy at a parade.

It’s easy to give advice when you don’t have to bear the risk, take the fall, or when your butt is not on the line. You are the keeper of your own vision, not anyone else.

Receiving advice is like eating hard shell crabs…there is more trash than meat at the end of the meal. Keep the meat, but make sure to throw everything else away fast. Remember, seafood spoils quickly, and so does your vision if you don’t protect it!

It’s easy to throw away advice that seems way off, but what about the advice that seems to make sense? I’m talking about the kind of advice that causes you to question the vision that God gave you. The advice that Moses received was endless and mostly unsolicited. He had to sort through the junk like this…

In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.  The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death. Exodus 16:2-3

In order to find the meat in advice like this that he received from his father-in-law Jethro…

Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Exodus 18:19-21

Remember…YOU are the keeper of YOUR vision. God entrusted YOU with the vision, don’t allow others to hi-jack it!

When have you made the mistake of listening to bad advice?

What is your process for looking for meat and throwing away the shells?

Please comment.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! Exodus 14:15

When God speaks and gives us direction in our life, we need to listen for the period or for the comma. If He ends with a comma, keep praying…keep listening, He still is giving you direction. However, if He ends with a period, it’s time to stop praying and start moving! When I say stop praying, I mean…stop praying for direction, and start praying for courage.

I think so often, we are like Moses and guilty of spinning our wheels of inaction. We’re scared, we’re stubborn, we’re secure in our own insecurity. If God gave us direction, we need to stop crying out to God, and start moving!

What is it that are you still praying about that God has already given you the answer to?

Is it hard for you to distinguish between the comma and the period?