In Philippians 3:14 Paul writes about pressing on towards the goal. To an innovator, this is a great passage. It speaks to all things INTENSE! You get this idea of someone straining against the weight of all their obstacles and crossing that finish line in an impressive style.
The challenge for all of you Type A innovators out there, is to keep reading in the verse. After the pressing and the pushing, Paul qualifies the context when he says, "to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
This last statement sounds noble, but what does it really mean? It is putting our victory in perspective. First of all, God is defining the goal. That means that God defines success not us. This is hard for innovators. We have an idea of what success is in our context and culture and we are driven to make that a reality. Whether that be an invention, a solution to a significant social issue or an idea explained, we want to set the rules about success. But that is a non-negotiable. God is clearly setting the goal line and defining the end of the race.
Secondly, the goal pales in comparison to our heavenward trajectory. Innovators are driven by the challenge of solving great challenges. We frame them in our minds and then we make them the ultimate goal and vision for our lives. But this verse is putting our earthly goals - even though they are defined by God - in perspective. They are really nothing compared with our ultimate goal of what we will experience and do in Heaven. That is exciting but probably a little frustrating for some innovators - they want to be about the big stuff now. We must learn patience and trust in greater measure!
What would a God-centered innovator look like? What would they do differently? How would you know that they were driven by God's great wisdom and direction? I'm sure you would see it in millions of little ways.
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