I have never been one to do things traditionally.  I have always done things differently.  I am not one to follow the rules per se.  When I got engaged,  I did not want an engagement ring because I don't like wearing rings.   I asked my soon-to-be husband for an engagment necklace.   He gave me a beautiful necklace that held my birthstone, surrounded by tiny diamonds.  This meant so much more to me than a diamond ring.     I did not go the traditional route and put my children in school.  I teach them myself.  Where I live, this is extremely unusual (although, I am pleased to say that there are more like me as the years go by.)  As a Christian, I do not attend a traditional church where hymn singing takes place.  I am a member of a Pentecostal church  where we worship God with loud but beautiful music.  Even though, this church steps far from tradition,  the Word of God is preached and it is preached loudly and strongly.

     I guess you could say that I am a person who thinks outside of the box.  I do  not follow rules.  Let me clarify that statement.  The rules that are in place for my safety and the safety of others are the rules that I follow.  But some rules are in place that just do not make sense to me.  These are the rules that I break.  I don't break them in a rebellious spirit.  I break them with much thought and for good reasons.

    When we went to Cypress on Wednesday with our friends,  we talked about thinking outside of the box.  My friend, K,  is also one who follows her own path.  In going down this path,  we have a sense of freedom, of Christ's freedom.  In following some of the senseless rules that are in place in today's society  instills a sense of bondage.  This bondage is not in accordance to God's Word.

    Let me give you an example.   While we were at Cypress,  we took all five of the kids to play mini-golf.  That was five children between the ages 2 and 9.  The traditional way to play mini-golf is to wait in line until eveyone has had a turn hitting the ball.  Then you keep taking turns until everyone has put the ball in the hole. Then you move on to the next hole. This is the tradtional way to play.  It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this way was not going to work with five young children. 

    We were the only ones on the golf course.   I told the older kids that they could go to whichever hole they wanted to go to, but they could only play each hole once.  They could not play a hole twice because we only paid for them to play once.  I stressed this a few times.  The kids understood.  The younger ones stayed with K and I so that we could keep track of them.  K and I played the holes in order.  We were having a great time.  The kids were so enamored with watching the balls going in all of the various holes.  Mia had gone to the holes out of order.  She went to the last ones first, then worked her way to the first holes.   This cut down on that dreaded waiting.

     As Missy and I were playing a hole,  I saw the owner come out of her hut and make her way to Mia.  I heard her say something about playing out of order.   I made me way to the lady and asked what the problem was.  She said that Mia was playing out of order and that she couldn't play the holes twice as we only paid for one round.   I explained to the lady that even though Mia was playing out of order, she was told to only play each hole once and this was what she was doing.  The owner then told me that she had to play in order.  Why?   was the word that kept pounding in my brain.   We were the only ones there.  Why did she need to go in order? 

     I told Mia that she needed to play the later numbered holes, the ones that she hadn't played yet and that she needed to go in order.   Mia couldn't understand why either.   After we were finished the game, K and I got into the van and we both said at the same time,  "That woman does not know how to think outside of the box." 

     I hope that I never fall into that trap.  I hope that I will be able to think critically about rules--follow the ones that keep us safe and ditch the ones that do not make any sense.  What is more important, I pray that I will be able to raise my children in knowing how to think critically about all of those rules.  I pray that they will be able to see that some times in life it is okay to go out of order.  It is okay to think outside of the box. 

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