In the last year I have seen the beauty and courage that comes with ”being brave”.
I had a dream about 2 and a half years ago, it was one of the crispest clearest dreams I have had up until that point and filled with vibrant colours. I often dream in dull colours. In this dream I was standing on a dirt path, it was very rocky with a thick tree covering on both sides. You couldn’t see anything except the path that lead forward. My brother and sister in law were there with me. We walked along this rocky path until you could see there was a clearing up ahead, as we got closer the trees ended and it lead to a cliff. All you could see was blue sky all around and out into the horizon. I walked towards the edge of the cliff and peered over, down below you could see the most beautiful blue water, it was stunning the colour and surroundings. It was a long way up though. I felt a push behind me, my brother and sister in law pushed me off the edge, as I was falling I thought to myself, “Its too high up, this is going to be really bad when I hit the water, its going to really hurt!” and then I thought, “I trust my brother and sister in law so if they pushed me, they must think its okay”, and with that I hit the water and I slid softly in like landing on cotton wool and went deep beneath the surface and it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen, I can go back to it right now and still feel the intense emotion that came with that moment of going beneath the water, I remember thinking now there is no going back. And then I woke up. Ever since then I have been learning what it is to live by faith, to be brave and take risks. That dream prepared me for what was to come. My spirit was being pulled deeper to go higher. God was wanting to show me, its okay to jump, I’ve given you wings bigger than you know, they will carry you, the wind will move beneath you and guide you. Faith can require a lot of courage at times, to face the giants in our life, to face the unknown that lies ahead of us, to face the things that scare us and choose to step anyway. I have learnt that even in pain great faith is required. When something painful happens in our life we have a choice, to run from the pain or run at the pain. One day I was listening to a lady, Abi Stumvoll, speaking about her journey and how she learnt that when we run from the pain in chases us and follows us everywhere we go, it becomes an unrelenting heaviness that is constant in its pursuit, but when she spoke of what she did to breakthrough pain I was enlightened. When we choose to stop, turn around and face our pain, our fears ect then we can look at that which is causing destruction, we can define what it is that scares us about our pain and what we are believing about it. For example, is it a fear of being alone, or of not being taken care or of failing, once you know what the ‘pain’ is you have the power to disarm it.
“What you believe you become!”
I went on a confronting journey of discovering what I truly believe. Do I believe that I am safe and if I don’t, why? and what am I believing instead? I found that once I faced the pain / fear, I could see what I was believing and replace the lies that I was believing with the truth, the pain simply lost its power. I was no longer running from it, I was shattering it. I know now, you have to know what beliefs you hold truest and protect them with everything you have. They are the foundation from which we stand.
I have seen and experienced disabling pain in my life break because I discovered it didn’t line up with what I believed to be true and I changed my stance and I know the one who lives inside of me, the one who is freedom. Now I am not saying that pain is bad, we all go through pain, but it is never meant to hold us hostage and make its permanent residence with us, we are never meant to set up camp in pain, it is something we move through. Do not camp in disbelief, just keep moving!
It takes courage to believe for something you cannot see, this is the Faith that brings with it goodness beyond what you can see.
Life was never promised to be a perfect road, but it is always rich in Abundance.
WHOLENESS.WONDER.WELLBEING 