Casting vision, is hard work. Setting our sights on something grand, big, and worth pursuing takes hours of introspection, testing, and refining. Pushing against the status quo and moving toward a goal is hard work. And it takes a clear vision of the purpose to help us push through the darkest days.
The old saying tells us not to fix “stuff” that isn’t broken, but that isn’t accurate at all. I for one am grateful for the brilliant person that grew tired of cutting down trees with a sharp rock and began sharpening metal to put on the end of a stick. Even more impressed with the guy who put a chain with blades on a motor! Thank you!
Read through the Bible and observe the relationship between God and His people. It seems each time the Israelites sat back and accepted things for the way they were… they fell away from God. He would then realign them and their vision to His.
It’s easy fall into a routine – healthy or unhealthy – and settle in to do things the way they have always been done. Watch out! When we become complacent, fail to continue pressing forward, and cease to cast our vision, we die.
“Where there is no vision, the people perish…” – Proverbs 29:18
Are we looking ahead? Are we committing our lives to searching out new ways to serve our neighbors? Too often, like the Israelites, we can get complacent with our faith. Accepting this world to be the final stop. Our goals and dreams can easily begin to match those things measured by this life – but that isn’t what our Rabbi teaches us.
Life blurs past us when we disengage from the vision of God’s plan to live for Him every day, while our eyes are fixed on the ultimate goal – eternal life with our King. The mistake we tend to make is thinking that “Life” is an all encompassing body of work that defines who we were after we are dead and gone.
Nope.
“Life” is what happens with every breath we take. ”Life” is what happens when we engage in nature around us. ”Life” is what happens when we become a part of other people’s struggles and victories. “Life” is where we find God, and He wants us to engage in every moment with Him so we can live it abundantly.
Take a little time to slow down, take inventory, and identify those places in your life where you are still “chopping down trees with a sharp rock.” Identify better tools that will make your effort more productive and enjoyable. Think about tools like – small groups.
Once committed, we need check-ups. A system that challenges us to move out of that chair, to press against those comfort zones and measure our efforts against our vision and God’s vision for us. Here are 4 Ways to live into your vision of being more Christ centered:
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How you talk
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How you forgive
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How you serve
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How you worship
Comments
Derek
January 18, 2010 at 4:02 pmGreg,
I gave a message this past Sunday withbProv 29:18 as my starting point. My goal was to cast a vision for this new work in our area that we are starting with another family. Your article was reaffirming. Thanks for sharing.
Derek.
Greg Arnold
January 18, 2010 at 4:49 pmGreat to hear! We cast vision, and must always remember that we are part of the larger vision. Keeping those lined up is where we find harmony in our pursuits.