Wednesday 13 November 2013

trusted and treasured

I've been wondering lately how much it's ok to dream.... to see hope realized... to see vision not just birthed but fulfilled... to dare to dream beyond what the eye can see. It makes me wonder how many times I miss out because I've been too scared to embrace a dream that is beyond the natural and, I guess, seemingly impossible. Cos what if you don't see your dreams come true? It's not easy is it... faith... trust... they're tricky things. But then if we don't dream, do we just stay where we are? What does it mean to risk and believe? What can I learn about who God is whilst I wait? Is there stuff in the way of my dreams coming true? Heart stuff? Or am I just off my rocker to even dream some of the stuff in my heart?

I was reminded of the story of how my floating home was purchased the other day. It left me in awe, quite honestly. What if these people who had gone before me hadn't dared to dream? What if they'd given up at the first hurdle? Or not even at the first but the 101st? What if they had? What if they decided that the vision they had was too big and too much effort? Too costly? Too vulnerable a place to be? Too crazy to cling on to? Too much risk of looking a fool? Too much daring to dream? Think of the thousands of people who have had surgery who wouldn't have had it. Think of the gazillion seeds of hope that may never have been planted in people's hearts. Think of the suffering. Think of all the lives being lived in a way less than all they had been created for. Think of all of us who work in this beautifully crazy place who wouldn't get to live here and, through it, become more of who we were made to be. Surely it's too costly not to dream?

I think dreaming must be connected to my favourite phrase of this season; Trusted and Treasured. I'm realizing more and more how incredibly empowering both of these things are. It's part of why I love life here. I feel trusted and treasured. There are people who believe in me to do a good job, people who trust me with things that are way bigger than me and things that God puts on my plate that are simply way out of my comfort zone. Being trusted and treasured empowers me to dream. It empowers me to be bigger than me. If I think back to times when I haven't felt trusted or treasured, I begin to realize how powerfully disabling it has been... and it's not all about me... it's pure joy for me to be able to trust and treasure others too. In fact it's one of my favourite things to do.

Being Trusted and Treasured is a great picture of the body at work.

1 Corinthians 12 (The Message) 'For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of. An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn't be a body, but a monster. What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own. Can you imagine Eye telling Hand,Get lost; I don't need you? Or, Head telling Foot; You're fired; your job has been phased out?'

As I think of these last few months, I sometimes wonder where on earth I am living and what an incredible body I am part of. Most evenings I go for sun set swims just a few decks up, I share my life with some of the richest hearts I have ever met, I work alongside some of the most compassionate and servant hearted people the world has ever seen and share rich rich moments with them - some rejoicing and some deeply sad, I go on hot and sweaty adventures at the weekend that take me to random deserted beaches, I roll up my sleeves and get to be part of an incredible patient selection day back in August where we saw thousands of people who received seeds of hope for the future, and this week flew to the capital city of Brazzaville to do more the same. I see God's power bursting out all over and I see Him stretching and moulding me - all the flipping time, I somehow think it's normal to hear a baby crying in the Hospital one deck below me as I try to fall asleep, I work in a place where the hum drum of every day is always superseded by life and love and hope being birthed in people's hearts... and at the end of every day, I get to look up at the wonky southern hemisphere moon and feel oh-so-small.

And if I ponder on it all too much... I feel slightly exhausted. But in truth, I'm not exhausted, I'm very very full. It's been a fantastic few months of watching this beautiful body at work and there isn't anywhere I'd rather be. You might need to remind me of that now and then.

So let's learn more of what it is to trust and treasure each other shall we? Because that's what empowers the body to work as one and to be fully ourselves. And then we get to dream. We weren't made to potter about just getting through each day. Were we? I hope not. Let's trust and treasure and reach and believe. Believe that there is more, believe that it's not the end of the story. Let's dream big. Really big.

So here's to the precious ones who have trusted and treasured me and here's to God who does the same. May you too feel trusted and treasured until you dare to dream the dreams that are deeply hidden in your hearts... can't wait to hear about them one day.

Love always, KWW

We have to be braver than we think we can be, because God is constantly calling us to be more than we are... Madeleine L'Engle