KP#14 Realities of Life - Fit

The parable of the Wineskin - New Wine should be put in New Wineskin in Luke 5:33-39, Mk 2:22,Mt 9:17 teaches us a key secret of success, namely, "FIT". What you do must fit the occasion. Jesus' disciples are not to fast & pray then but they should after Jesus has left. Jesus emphasized twice, using the illustrations of in v36 not a piece of new garment on old garment and in v38 new wine must be put in fresh wineskin.

The purpose, of mending the old garment, or container to hold the wine, did not change. It is the method that must change to meet the new situations.

Fit is doing the right things for the occasions and/or the purpose.

It is quite natural for most of us to hold on to the old ways that helped us to be successful and be blind to the need for change when the situation has changed. We tend to fight the need to say the change is only temporary and they will go away. Such things happened for the horse carriages and the typewriters companies when new disruptive innovation comes. (See Clay Christensen's Books).

On the other hand, let me emphasize that principles don't change and it is the methods that change. The dot-com boom of the late 90s and the big crash in the 2000 showed that unsound business and financial practices don't last.

The Principle of Fit
The other words for Fit are Co-operate, Synchronize, Optimize, Smooth out the clinks and edges, remove conflicts, seek peace.

Fit implies that there are two or more parties involved:

• The occasion and the right protocol.
  
• The new wine and the right container.
  
• The Staff and the Company.
  
• The Business Offering and the Customers etc.
  

Fit must have also a purpose such that it is Fit for the accomplishment of the purpose. The steps for achieving Fit are:

1. Step 1 Define or discover the Purpose
   
   
2. Step 2 Face the Realities
   
   a. beyond influence - Ride on Them - e.g the trends (assuming not conflict with Bible), the common constraints
   
   b. influenceable - Change Them - e.g. wishes, conflicts, traditions, obstacles, assumptions, only ifs
   
   
3. Step 3 Find the Strengths of Each party
   
   
4. Step 4 Assign the tasks accordingly to Achieve the Purpose
   
   
5. Step 5 Review and Adjust the Fitness for maximum synchronization.
   

Fit is a very important operator that I will include it in my BVITS (Business Value Innovative Thinking Symbols) for generating break-through ideas.

In v39, Jesus gave a very practical application of Fit - Give them something better and they will forgo the old thing or old ways. i.e. if you want to take-away something from someone (e.g. smoking, drug, idol worship), you must give them something better. Taking something away without a better replacement will end up in fights. Remember - Give good to Take-away bad.