IDEAS ARE FRAGILE

I think I forget ninety-nine percent of what people tell me, trapping it verbatim for a short time, and then letting it fade into the fuzzy past where it lands like a snow flake on the soft heap of forgotten conversations, sermons, and advertisements. Every once in a while though somebody will say something to me that truly sticks, and which I visit again and again in my brain where it is permanently stored for easy reference.

One such time wiggled into my ear about eight years ago when I attended a seminar for business majors wherein a man said that “ideas are fragile.” He explained that it is human nature that when we are faced with a new idea we give it a good shake to test it and to see if it will stand up. Sometimes the shaking can be violent, and some ideas don’t survive. An idea’s survival or untimely death, often ride on the ability of its champion to defend it.

History is littered with bad ideas that bloomed into fruition thanks to the ability of its misguided defenders, and some good ideas faced opposition too, but were successfully protected and promoted until they had proven themselves viable. However, many good ideas sprouted in the toxic soil of criticism and wilted for lack of encouragement under the glaring hot sun of detractors.

I hold an idea today- a vulnerable & fragile thing, and if you want to give it a shake you’ll have to get through me first. For now though I will tuck it away in the closet of my heart wrapped up in an old soft t-shirt inside a shoe box. It’s not that it’s not ready for the shaking… it’s more like its champion isn’t. I need more time to be prepared and to train for the coming battle.

I take comfort not in my abilities, but in those of God. If the idea is of Him it won’t die for my lack of ability. If it is not of God than no amount of my ability will bring it success- at least not as I define success.