It’s hard to believe it’s almost here. Two weeks left of work. Three before I leave Wisconsin. This past weekend I turned over the “little black book” that is all the information I carry for Stephen Ministry. I’ve been training a few different people to take it over while I’m gone, trying to organize everything so they have fewer burdens on them, and attempting to impart any and all wisdom and knowledge that’s in my head into theirs.
Stephen Ministry is near and dear to my heart. I love training people in how to listen and care for others, in becoming more self-aware and gaining emotional and spiritual healing. Nothing excites me more than witnessing someone experience an inner-transformation so they become more the person God made them to be.
And now, I’m giving all that up to go trudging around some mountains for 6 months. I have to trust others to carry and care for the people I’ve trained as well as the people receiving care through the ministry. I see each Stephen Minister and each care receiver as my responsibility. Someone God has placed in my path for me to care for, to protect, to encourage. At this moment in time, that’s over 30 people. It’s like I have these 30 little chicks that I want to train up and teach to fly, and someday, watch them fly away from me to make their own nest – the way God intended things to happen. They weren’t meant to be under my wing forever.
And, boy, are they ever flying! I am so encouraged when I see what each one of them is capable of, how they are growing and learning. There is one person in particular (you know who you are!) that has so transformed, it’s amazing!!! I see that person, and I am so honored to have been a part of their path, to have witnessed the jump out of the nest and make it on their own.
There is another side to this though. It’s not just the Stephen Ministers that need to step up into leadership and move on without me. Oh no. I’m getting nudged out of the nest too. I’m realizing I’m not the “mother hen” looking over her chicks. I’m one of the chicks, and God is slowly nudging me out of the nest. I have to learn to fly on my own – without the identity of “Stephen Leader”, without the assurance that life WILL INDEED fall apart for these 30 people if I leave. I have to realize that I am not the one who teaches anyone to fly. I’m simply a fellow featherhead , having to take my own leap of faith, to stretch my wings – not in my own strength – but in trust that the wind will catch me. And in trust that as my Stephen Ministers take wing, it’s not my training or nudging that will keep them up, but rather, the wind will lift them up and make them soar.
I’m learning one of my goals in this hike. I wanted to learn to let go of things. Initially, I thought that meant material things. But I’m realizing so many other things I need to let go of – my identity, my pride, my accomplishments, my failures – those are the things that weigh a person down even more than material possessions, and I’m finding they are more challenging to let go of. But none of those things matter when you are flying. It’s all about taking wing and trusting the wind.
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