Willingness

On Sunday, fifteen of us went on a field trip after church down to St. John's in Stamford, where we met with Linda Clapp of the Godly Play Foundation. We wanted to learn more about what Godly Play is all about. I've got to say, having a third of our active congregation say yes to going on a field trip that was a forty minute drive away on a 90 degree day that would take up an entire Sunday afternoon was both impressive and encouraging to me. It's not that all of these people want to get involved with teaching young children. But all of them are willing to entertain the possibility that they can help get this new project up and running at Grace by this fall. They are willing to learn what it's all about and willing to see if something about it calls them to get involved. They are willing enough, in fact, to give up a whole afternoon to just come and see.

There is something wonderful about being willing. I've been encouraging my boys to try out "yes" more often in their lives - as in - how do you know you don't like avocadoes until you try them? Before just immediately reacting to something new with a no, sometimes it's good to pause, think about stretching your usual boundaries and be willing to be open to a new perspective. You might discover you've been missing something you really love.

So to get back to being willing to take a whole afternoon to check out a new church project that everyone knows will take a lot of effort to enact: usually when you ask people to give up a whole afternoon, let alone potentially take part in an ambitious new project, they react almost fearfully - "Oh, no, I couldn't possibly add another thing. My life is so hectic, I don't have room for even a tiny thing more." It seems life is unmanageably busy for most of us these days. In fact, if you're not wildly busy, it almost seems like there's something wrong with you. A few years ago, I decided that when someone asks me how I am, I'm no longer going to respond by saying "Busy!" Because I don't want a busy life. What I want is a full life.

Sometimes choosing to get involved in a new project brings wonderful gifts into your life - a nourishing new fullness. Often, when you get involved in a challenging yet satisfying new project, you end up feeling like you're getting much more out of it than you ever put into it, even though you've given a whole lot. But you've got to be willing to come and see. If you just automatically say no to new opportunities, you may be missing out on a rich fullness that would make all the busy-ness of your life simply pale in comparison.

So I am so very grateful for the willingness of these 15 people to just come and see - to check something new out enough to see if anything about it calls to them. I'm really glad they tried out "yes."