During the DreamForum, I have learned to slow down and listen for God’s encouragement. What direction is He prompting me to explore? The accessibility technology I envisioned isn’t as novel as I thought it was, but I am getting opportunities to lean into support for caregivers of people living with disabilities.
My dream pod has encouraged me to build a support system around me for this dream, including a spiritual community to help shape my dream in the long run and people to help me determine the pace and how to scale. I’ve been a solopreneur for a while, and this exhortation came at precisely the moment God intended, when I could recognize the profound wisdom within it.
Through the DreamForum I have experienced God’s faithfulness. I have learned I am hesitant to act in the absence of long-term vision, and I have heard God gently nudge me, again and again, to take the next step. In one particularly impactful Trellis session, when I was feeling stuck and yearning to understand how it would all play out, God upended my malaise. He focused me on whom He could bless when I took the next steps. This shift in perspective away from myself and towards others caught my attention, for I want to join God in His plan rather than remain mired in my meager perspective. I want this God-given dream to bless people and so I take the next step.
I am no longer certain about pursuing an accessibility technology aimed at making interior spaces more accessible to people living with disabilities. My research has failed to identify a beachhead market/paying customer. When I began the DreamForum journey, this seemed like such a no-brainer innovation so I was surprised to hit a wall so soon.
Amidst that uncertainty, it was hard to know how to proceed. I shifted from charging ahead to feeling completely stuck, unsure and unable to gain forward momentum. Perhaps this was the beauty of the DreamForum’s deceleration process on display.
What hasn’t changed, is the overarching dream that came out of the final Nautilus retreat—increasing belonging for people affected by disability. This includes people living with disabilities and family members like me. I’ve circled back to considering what role I’ll play in realizing this vision. Most recently I’ve wondered about sharing more of my caregiver journey to increase understanding for and reduce the isolation that often characterizes caregivers. With doors opening to speak about my journey and support other caregivers, my curiosity is piqued to learn how this fits into God’s plan for the dream.
Sarah Spear is one of twelve Dreamers in Goldenwood’s 2024 Dream Forum. This reflection is part of Goldenwood’s #InsidetheDreamPod series. Hear more and connect with Sarah at the Dream Forum on November 14th.
About Sarah’s Dream, Increasing Belonging for People Living with Disability: Accessibility is still, largely, an unscalable endeavor which means that people relying on accessibility lose out and become further marginalized by our communities’ systems. Both people living with disabilities AND people entering their senior years benefit from accessibility. Businesses and residences can be designed with accessibility as a foremost consideration once easily available technology exists.