Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. ² So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’
 
³ “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— ⁴ I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’
                                                                                    -Luke 16:1-4
 
Several years ago, the Geico insurance company needed a new marketing campaign but there was one problem: the actors union was on strike. So the marketing team went to work and produced the Geico Gecko—who doesn’t love a congenial lizard with a British accent? The character was a smash hit and continues to be a staple in their ads many years later.
 
Sometimes the greatest creativity is born out of difficult circumstances.
 
The manager of a wealthy man’s house is caught in wasteful dealings and is about to get fired. The manager takes quick inventory of his employment options: he’s not strong enough to dig, it’s too shameful to beg.
 
Ergo, time to go put some people in my debt so that they’ll owe me something when I’m in need! In the vice of this self-inflicted crisis, the manager will demonstrate some remarkable creativity that Jesus will celebrate.
 
Often when we feel things crashing in on us, we start to pull in, retreat, curl up, withdraw, become more self-protective. Today, we invite you to consider the places where you’re feeling squeezed to instead be an opportunity to be more expansive and to bring holy creativity to bear. 
 
Where are difficult or desperate or needful situations squeezing you today? What if what came out of you was faith, hope, love, wisdom and courage instead of fear, anxiety, entitlement, fight or flight?
 
Take a moment to bring the difficult situations pressing in on you today to the Lord. Prayerfully list 15-20 different ways you could deal with it, including totally ridiculous options that you’d never actually do like “go live in an igloo in Alaska.”  Allowing your brain to think of ridiculously crazy options breaks our boxes and allows us to bring fresh creativity to the problem.  After you’ve forced yourself to generate that list, ask for wisdom to implement holy creativity to solve the problem.