What exactly does it mean to live out of the box? You have heard the term, “think outside of the box,” well the phrases are related and in order to live outside of the box, you first must think outside of the box. Thinking outside of the box means no limitations; no longer controlled by rules or traditions. Being creative, approaching life in unusual ways can lead to living outside of the normal. Who wants to be normal anyway?

Remember the Centurion in Matthew 8:5-9? He went to Jesus for help. The centurion, thinking outside of the box, told Jesus to just speak the word and his servant would be healed. Jesus marveled at the centurion’s demonstration of faith and healed the servant.  What would you have done? Lord come lay your hand on my servant, Lord if you don’t come and do it yourself my servant will die. In short, we want first class on the spot service.  Wow!

A ruler came to Jesus, in Matthew 9:18-19, asking him to lay hand on his daughter and raise her from the dead.  Now if that’s not “out of the box” I don’t know what is.  The ruler figured his daughter had died while he was on his journey, so instead of asking for healing he asked for resurrection. That is powerful.

In that same chapter of Matthew, verses 20-22, is another example of “out of the box” thinking.  Again, you have to think outside of the box in order to act outside of the box.  The woman with an issue of blood, “said within herself, If I may but touch his garment I shall be whole.”  She did not say if I can just get close enough he will touch me, and I will be made whole. No, she was being creative in her effort to get what she needed from Jesus. Out of the box thinking took her beyond just asking Jesus to heal; she took responsibility for her healing and said I need to touch the hem of his garment and I will be whole. When she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment, he took note and told the woman, your faith has made you whole.

One more example of living outside of the box is found in Mark 2:1-3. Friends of a paralyzed man wanted Jesus to heal their friend.  They went to the place where Jesus was and tried to enter through the door, but there was not enough room for them to enter. How many of us would have given up, staying inside the box of tradition, the box of that is the only way to get into the house.  The men took their friend to the roof top and lowered him down.  “Out of the box” thinking!  Jesus was amazed at the faith of the friends, and he delivered the man who was sick of the palsy.

Check yourself.  What box are you continuing to live in?  The time is now for a prison break.  Get out of that box and start living outside of the norm.  Faith is outside of the norm.  With each of the examples, their faith led them to creative solutions to their problems.  What situations do you need to address differently? Your faith can help you get out of that box; now is the time.