I don’t usually tend to take “no” for an answer. I don’t mean that I’m a bully or rude–I just don’t like hearing, “It can’t be done” or “that’s impossible.” I was going to say I’m not stubborn, but I just may be in some things.

I figure there’s always a way around or over or under an obstacle. Last resort is through it. But an obstacle doesn’t have to be an obstacle.

While I think it’s possible to force something that’s really not God’s will, I also have to wonder if giving up too soon is simply a lack of faith. Faith involves perseverance and patience. Faith involves hard work. Faith also involves creativity.

There was once a guy who was paralyzed, but fortunately had some faith-filled, persistent, creative buddies. You can read the story here. They wanted to get their friend to Jesus to be healed, but getting to Jesus was a problem. There were too many people around Jesus to reach Him.

That didn’t stop them though. A crowd of people was not an obstacle that couldn’t be overcome. So they climbed up on the roof, cut a hole in it and lowered their friend down right in front of Jesus.

It would have been easy to have seen the crowds and just gone home or waited for another day. But they didn’t. And their friend was healed because of their creative faith.

I was reminded of the need for creative, tenacious faith yesterday when I saw this squirrel outside our kitchen window.

That bird feeder is designed to close when anything heavier than a bird sits on one of the posts. Apparently this squirrel learned that, but didn’t allow it to stop him. Don’t you love his creativity?

What’s stopping you? What obstacle seems insurmountable?

Persist. Ask God for a solution. Get creative.

Learn from the friends of the paralyzed man and from a very tenacious squirrel.