Ignore to Innovate
Image by marcopako via Flickr
The long anticipated announcement of the iPhone 4S came this week. Probably the most anticipated smart phone announcement ever. But it hasn’t always been that way. Apple fans were, of course excited about the first iPhone, but many others scoffed and criticized. It cost too much. Why is Apple making a cell phone? Just recently even the CEO of Sony Ericsson admitted they should have taken the iPhone more seriously.
An even more skeptical reaction occurred when Apple introduced the iPad a couple of years ago. Even Apple fans didn’t see much use for it. I thought it was a little silly myself, especially the name. But last Christmas I decided I couldn’t live without one. Now I’m rarely without it.
Steve Jobs and Apple are an excellent example of ignoring the cynics and moving ahead. Innovation has to do that. Every great inventor and innovator throughout history has been laughed at and criticized for their ideas.
All that makes me wonder how many times we as individuals and the collective church fail to be innovative because of people’s reactions or their anticipated reactions. I’m not advocating not listening to good counsel and advice, but too often we just don’t want to deal with negative, critical people so we stick with the status quo or move like molasses waiting for everyone to get on the bandwagon. By the time we reach the goal it is no longer innovative; everyone else is doing it, and we’ve lost the edge God wanted to give us.
God is innovative. Everything he does is fresh and new, when and if we let him lead the way. Ignore the scoffers and move forward with wherever you feel he is leading.
Related articles
- Sony Ericsson regrets ignoring iPhone, rags on Windows Phone (electronista.com)
from my notebook 