Experience is Useless During Crisis

19 Jun Experience is Useless During Crisis

Einstein suggests, “we cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that we used to create them.” This holds true, especially during times of crisis. In fact, in a Minister Myles Munroe suggested that “experience is useless during a crisis.” At first thought, this idea is disheartening, as I have been taught to experience things, grow from them, and then use them as anchoring points for my life.

But – then, I decided to dissect what he said.

“experience is useless during a crisis.”

Experience is knowledge or skill that you have gained because you have repeated that knowledge or skill for a long time. Your experience tells you how to respond to a particular event in a particular way.

A crisis implies that there is no solution. That is why it is called a crisis and not a problem. A crisis is something unexpected; that is not immediately solvable.

Different dictionaries define a ‘crisis’ as:

· a time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger
· a time when a difficult or important decision must be made
· a crucial or decisive point or situation; a turning point
· an unstable condition, as in political, social, or economic affairs, involving an impending abrupt or decisive change
· an emotionally stressful event or traumatic change in a person’s life

Each of these definitions differ, but they are also wildly similar. First, crises are unexpected. Second, crises create instability. Third, what was once well-known and customary comes to an end. Fourth, the instability and uncertainty that emerges from a crisis start to form a condition of distress in many forms, including physical distress, psychological distress, social distress, political distress, emotional distress, and economic distress.

We are seeing and feeling all these things now! We are experiencing the fallout of crisis.

I do not know how you feel about the matter, but right now — my experience fails me. When I watch the news or scroll through different social media feeds about the pandemics of CoViD-19 and racism, I am baffled. And as, Minister Monroe, so kindly put it, my “experience is useless.” But – it is when, what we have learned fails us, that we must make 1 of 3 choices:

1. We can sit and stew. Hoping that someone will save us or come up with a solution.

2. We can continue to use our old knowledge (our experiences). Even when we have realized that it does not fit the current climate or circumstances.

3. We can pivot, innovate, and evolve our systems and structures to match the problems of today by seeking a higher thought.

In Proverbs 4:7, Solomon articulates that “Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore, get Wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.” Present-day and in this time of crisis, we have our experiences, we (hopefully) have good judgment, but what we often lack is knowledge and Wisdom to create change. Wisdom looks at a problem and combines our experiences, good judgment, and knowledge from multiple places to create a solution.

To “get wisdom” and “get understanding,” we must” understand that:

1. Wisdom is a gift from GOD.

“Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee“. (1 Kings 3:12)

Solomon became king after his father, David. God invited him to ask anything he wanted from God. Solomon asked for Wisdom.

God is still in the business of giving out Wisdom, but we must ask. However, do not ask with your selfish agendas, but ask so that His will can be done in your life.

2. Wisdom is gained through study.

“Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.” (Proverbs 6:6)

We should study those who are wise and those who came before us. There are many books written by wise people. Studying the Wisdom that comes from others, allow us to connect the dots and apply that Wisdom to our situations

3. Wisdom is gained by sitting under the wise.

“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise.” (Proverbs 13:20)

God never intended you to walk through the Word and world alone. Sitting under wise people implies that there is a relationship present. You have to seek these mentor-mentee relationships and be open to what they have to say.

Women of Judah, the crisis is here.

Our sense of normalcy is shattered, and because we don’t know what we don’t know, we can feel compelled to sit and stew, and hope that someone wakes us when they fix it all. The world, as we know it, has abandoned our plans, but I’m here to tell you that we don’t have to. Let us gather in the sharing of knowledge and hope, understanding that God is the key to wisdom and very much still in control.