Forward Thinking (Pt.2)
What follows is part two to a previous piece on innovation and solution-focused, forward-thinking. It would be most beneficial to read part one. Then return here for the conclusion.
THE BIBLE AND FORWARD THINKING: 5 POINTS
Beyond what Forbes magazine has to say about forward-thinking, are there biblical principles that could help us in this regard? Does the Bible offer any thoughts regarding “forward-thinking”? Allow me to briefly share five points.
Firstly, I believe the Bible depicts God as a forward-thinker. In Isaiah 43:18-19 we read: “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” If you are familiar with the context here, you know that Israel was in an extremely bad shape. Yet, God was able to foresee a new thing and bright future! I am so very glad we serve a forward-thinking God. When the woman caught in adultery was brought to Jesus, everybody thought it was the end. But Jesus could see a way beyond; far beyond. He had a different end in mind. It doesn’t matter how dark our past and/or our present may be, God can take us into a bright future! Is your church going through a very difficult time? Is your spiritual life or your spiritual journey in a state of gloom? Seek help from our forward-thinking God; with Him, there is always a way forward. In 1 Corinthians 2:9, Paul writes, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
Are you ready to allow God’s forward-thinking to lead and shape your life?
Secondly, biblical forward-thinking really means “upward” thinking. In Colossians 3:1-2, Paul writes, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” It is only when we set our minds on things above that we can think ahead. In line with Tucker’s questions, I believe that a healthy IMAGINATION is an imagination illuminated and guided by the Holy Spirit; and God’s Word should be our primary source of INFORMATION. In it, we see great forecasting skills to IMITATE. Simply put, upward thinking leads to healthy forward-thinking. A major challenge here is being able to carve out time for upward thinking. There are so many things competing for our attention! For instance, a recent stat revealed that, on average, Americans spend 7 hours and 3 minutes per day of screen time. Nearly half (41%) of American teenagers (13-18) have a screen time of more than 8 hours per day.[1]
How much time are you taking these days to think “upward”? If not much, what changes do you need to make in your daily schedule?
Thirdly, sometimes biblical “forward” looks “backwards.” Hebrews 11 is often referred to as the Hall of Faith, or the Hall of Faith Heroes. In it, we find a list of people who were willing to sacrifice all kinds of great earthly things because they were looking “forward” to something of more value. In other words, these heroes did things that looked “backwards” in their time because in reality they were thinking forward to a much better time. That is, forward-thinking often requires choices that look “backwards” to those not aligned with God’s and our forward thinking. In Hebrews 11:13 we read, “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” In this regard, we should be careful not to fall into either of these two extremes: (a) being 100% forward-thinkers according to the world; or (b) being backward-thinkers simply to be against the world. Sometimes being a forward-thinker in a Christ-like manner implies being open, flexible and adaptable to contemporary changes. Other times, it means to look “backwards” from the perspective of current trends. Only the Holy Spirit will guide us and give us wisdom to know which way to go in each particular case.
Are you ready to look like a backward-thinker because of your biblically forward-thinking? How “forward” is your forward-thinking?
Fourthly, godly forward “thinking” requires “reaching.” Philippians 3:13-14 reads, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” I refer here to our human responsibility to pursue things. Forward-thinking is not just a matter of prayer and spirituality; it requires human commitments and actions. In the previous text, Paul talks about “reaching forward,” “pressing.” It is great to connect with God and to seek His will. Nevertheless, once we have clear convictions about His will, it is equally important to act upon it. I would suggest that it is better to move and act, even at the risk of making mistakes, than to be utterly static; waiting an eternity for God’s perfect will to be revealed.
How are you “reaching” forward to the things ahead that you sense God is calling you to move towards?
Lastly, true biblical forward-thinking, is thinking that helps others move forward. In a day of increasing polarization, with communication often mediated by screens, we have seen a tremendous increase in “backward-thinking” as well as in “nasty-communicating.” Cyberbullying, harassment, personal attacks, and the like, seem to be common currency these days. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter how “forward” a person believes his/her thinking is, if it puts people down, if it is used to hurt people, it is more “backward” than “forward.” Christians should know and act better than that. 1 Peter 4:8 says, “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins.” Similarly, Philippians 2:3-4 reads, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”
How is your forward-thinking tangibly helping others move forward in life, especially in their walk with and toward God?
Conclusion
Back to the one thing that changed Patrick Mouratoglou. When Nick Kyrgios asked him if there was one thing that he carried in the back of his mind in the present responsibilities of his successful career, Mouratoglou replied: “Yes, the one thing that changed my life as a child (because of how shy I was), I only heard negative things about me. BUT ONE DAY SOMEONE SAID SOMETHING POSITIVE ABOUT ME AND THAT CHANGED MY LIFE. It was a teacher, who said to my parents: ‘your son is always somewhere else during class, so he will probably end up having a job that is very creative.’ This teacher saw what everyone else saw, but he looked at it in a positive way. And IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT SOMEONE LOOKED AT ME WITH A POSITIVE EYE. And this is how I coach today. I look at players with a kind eye.”
The one thing that changed Mouratoglou’s life was an encounter with a forward-thinker. Someone that could see him in his present condition but at the same time think forward and imagine a different, much better and bright reality. I suggest to you that FORWARD-THINKING, the biblical way, God’s way, IS FUNDAMENTALLY LOOKING AT THINGS, AT LIFE, AT PEOPLE, WITH A KIND EYE, WITH POSITIVE EYES, THROUGH GOD’S EYES. The more we look at people with a kind eye, through God’s eyes, this becomes clear evidence that the forward-thinking God we serve is transforming us into His likeness.
I close with a thought from Swiss theologian Karl Barth, which I think encapsulates the type of forward-thinking I want for my life. “Coming from where I can have nothing behind me but the Word of God, I find myself on the way to God, my Savior and Keeper, apart from whom I can have nothing before me. There alone do I have the future of my being.”[2] Let us grow into better forward-thinking, God’s way.
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https://backlinko.com/screen-time-statistics#average-screen-time-us
Karl Barth, Geoffrey William Bromiley, and Thomas F. Torrance, Church Dogmatics: The Doctrine of Creation, Part 2, vol. 3 (London; New York: T&T Clark, 2004), 178.
Dr. Gerardo Oudri serves as Associate Director of the NAD Ministerial Association.
