I can still feel my heart pounding in my chest from an equal mix of fear and exhilaration. Ten of my teammates pulled me higher and higher into the treetop canopy in the pitch black of night, a cool rain gently falling on my face. The team leader below called out, “Alright! You’re at the top! Pull when you’re ready!” It was up to me whether to give into the mounting fear and ask them to lower me slowly to the safety of the ground, or choose faith in my team and in the supports securing me 40 feet above the ground. It was nearly 11pm and incredibly dark due to the clouds and rain that I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face, let alone where I was going. I couldn’t know that I wouldn’t fall and smack right into a tree. My surroundings were a mystery. I pulled the rip cord and began to fall, my stomach felt like it jumped into my throat, but I had never felt so alive!
My night swing team building experience from a weekend college trip stays with me as one of my favorite lessons in choosing faith over fear and learning to trust my community. If I had given into fear I never would have experienced the thrill of letting go and trusting those who were there to support me. I believe that our journey as creative entrepreneurs is much like my night swing experience. We need genuine community to help lift us higher, to a place we can’t get to alone. We need to lean into the mystery of our surroundings, confidently trusting God who has brought us this far and those who are supporting us.
There are seasons where we are one of the ten team members on the ground, using our combined strength to lift someone else higher and celebrating with them in their adventure. Then the season comes when we are the one being lifted into the tree tops, but it’s up to us to choose faith and pull the rip cord. Where do you find yourself today, friend? Are you a member of a strong community that is genuinely engaged in lifting each other higher? Are you finding yourself at the top, battling with fear about taking the next step? Your community is supporting you even if you can’t see them and God is for you! Pull the rip cord, friend, it will be a wild ride!
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If you’re a creative entrepreneur craving the type of community I’m describing I highly recommend connecting with your local branch of the Rising Tide Society! Are you struggling to just stay afloat and feel like you don’t have time to invest in community? Check out this post of mine about how I keep a healthy work-life balance. As always, feel free to reach out to me with questions or prayer requests! I’m always honored to pray with you through trials and encourage you towards your dreams!
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