Stop shrinking your world

How big is your vision?

It was great to spend time with our Advanced Diploma students wrestling with ‘the 8th Habit’. One of the things that struck me was a truth that Covey first communicated in his book, “7 Habits of highly effective people”.

As we look at the world there are two boundaries that affect what we see and how we experience it.

The first is our circle of influence, namely the things we can actually influence or change.

The second is the circle of concern, namely the things we care about but can’t influence.

Since reading the book I have found the insight so helpful. Often I can find myself wanting to change things that I have no influence over. Spending a lot of time in that place just leaves me feeling powerless.

Jesus taught us in Matthew chapter 6 not to worry about things we can’t control, and as I pointed out a couple of days ago, anxiety may be one clue that we are not “seeking first the kingdom.

A realisation in the past week though, is the temptation to shrink the circle of concern when things feel too much. It is so tempting to shrink my vision to something that feels manageable.

As I pointed out in the post ‘Its time to get angry’, there are many things happening in the world that I really don’t want to let into my circle of concern. I have been challenged recently that there is actually much more I can influence that I really want to think about.

There is a special poem I want to share with you:

Our Deepest Fear

by Marianne Williamson

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone.
And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give
other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

As I let these words sink in, and as I wrestle with where I place the boundaries of my circle of concern, I feel challenged.

The organisation I work with, Fusion, has grown very rapidly over the past decade. In 2002 we were only based in Australia and since then we are now in 15 countries.

There is part of me that finds it hard to ‘stretch’ my heart to all that God is calling me (and us) to but I know that’s what He is asking. There is a particular passage of scripture that God gave Fusion as we began the journey of growth:

Clear lots of ground for your tents!
Make your tents large. Spread out! Think big!
Use plenty of rope,
drive the tent pegs deep.
You’re going to need lots of elbow room
for your growing family.
You’re going to take over whole nations;
you’re going to resettle abandoned cities.
Don’t be afraid—you’re not going to be embarrassed.
Don’t hold back—you’re not going to come up short.

(Isaiah 54:2-4 The Message)

I know the great trap for us as Fusion, and for me personally that we will shrink our ‘tent’ and I can see that is a real risk at the moment.

I know God is asking me to have a big enough ‘tent’ not only for those working with Fusion (and those they are serving) all over the world but also for the little children in the Congo who are putting up with things that little children shouldn’t have to put up with.

How big is your tent?