The Railroad Switch

-An exclusive excerpt from Allen’s new book-

How has our creativity gotten off track without us realizing it? If things are glitching, wouldn’t it be more obvious to notice the cues and clues?

Perhaps another analogy will be helpful. Don’t worry. There’s no doctor in this one.

Imagine your creativity as a high-speed train. It was designed to travel a certain route. And what made that possible, what kept it on track, was, well, the train tracks.

A train requires tracks. But it has the ability to change tracks. It happens through what’s called a railroad switch. According to Aldonco.com, “The railroad switch is a marvel of engineering. The ability to smoothly divert a train from one track to another is really what makes railroading possible.”

Now imagine, in our analogy, that the switch was made with ill intent. Remember, the enemy’s goal is to kill, steal, and destroy. Getting us off track certainly fits within his means of sabotage. But the switch wouldn’t be immediately obvious. From within the train, everything would still look and feel relatively the same, even though you’re no longer on the intended track.

If the train represents your creativity, it’s now heading in the wrong direction and traveling further from its intended destination.

The railroad switch concept isn’t limited to trains. It has happened to us. And it explains how our creativity got off track without us being aware of it. For those who have never considered themselves creative or given up on trying further, it is like a train that has forgotten what it was made for. It will remain there until someone helps it get back on track.

(From The Creativity Glitch: How to Stop Being Stuck, Find Your Groove, & Create with God. Copyright © 2026 Allen Arnold.)

This reading was crafted to encourage your pursuit of story and creativity with God. Your donation makes this crowd-funded initiative possible. You can support it via PAYPAL (or by check to Allen Arnold at PO Box 62841, Colorado Springs, CO 80962).

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