In a recent concept review, I realized the discussion was taking me to places that I had anticipated or imagined. The discovery invoked an awareness and insight into new ways of thinking about the present and imagining the future. In many ways, it was eerily similar to a recent epiphany as I read a friend’s Facebook post, the awareness that came in a middle of a casual chat, and the wonder born as I listened to a live concern. In each situation, a combination of actions, context, and unconscious openness left me changed. There is a lingering whisper reminding me that a combination of positively intentional action in a receptive and mutually trustworthy setting always results in more than I expect.
There are several lessons that I am determined to carry with me.
The combination always occurs with the Other. Others are usually people, but they can also be creatures and objects. When our hearts interact outside of itself, more than we imagine is possible.
While we can choose things related to ourselves, freedom means others are equally free to choose. They can be open or something else. They can trust or choose not to. They can be present and aware or distracted. It is important to remember that unless the process starts with us, More will be beyond our reach. Said another way, it takes two, but we have the power to kill the possibility before it starts.
When we work with the Other in the right setting, amazing things follow! A small band, “accompanied by dulcimer and harp, the full-bodied music of strings,” (Psalm 92.3) is far greater than it otherwise would be. A conversation with the Other can take us to places we never knew, could not imagine, and would not have travelled to! The implications for me is that the best is potentially better.
You and I do not need to accept the simple addition of ideas and resources. With the Other, we can reach father, celebrate louder, and achieve more than we ever dreamed possible. Our greater story can emerge.
