Vision Is Paramount

I went to the Eye Doctor the other day and they ran me through all the usual protocols before I even saw the doctor. Then the doctor did his examination and fitted me with a new prescription for contact lenses. Before I left the office, the doctor put some new contacts on my eyes and I could see!

When I got home I turned on the television while I was getting ready to go to work. I glanced at the screen and I could see the smallest print as clear as anything I had ever seen. I thought to myself, "What have I been missing?"

Vision is important to see where you are going. Without a good vision, you won't know what you are suppose to build. You will be like the person who wants to build a new house, but you don't have any blueprints. It is the same way in the area of discipleship. Without vision, you may want to put together something to grow people, but you won't know what it is.

Without vision, you will find it difficult to enlist people to help you with your dream. The best leaders that I've ever been around want to go after the best people available to make their vision become reality. The vision has to be shared with others and they have to buy into it. They have to believe in it as deeply as you do.

Without a blueprint, you will find it impossible to devise strategies to make it happen. Why? Because you don't know where you are going. How can you come up with ideas on how to get where you don't know you're going? You will, unfortunately, stay in a spinning circle that feels like gravitation is holding you in the same place. You're going no where.

How do you discover your vision? Sometimes God gives you the vision. God got Moses attention through a burning bush. Then God gave him a vision for His chosen people. Maybe God has put some kind of burning bush in your way and is just waiting to give you a vision of opportunity.

Nehemiah heard of a great need. He fasted and prayed. Then Nehemiah began to move toward the need. Maybe God is planting something in you right now and it is so bold and obvious that it cannot be ignored.

Maybe it is time to draw a mental picture of this vision that God is giving you. This mental image will become your vision. It will look like a series of pictures to you in your mind.
Are you trying to help others enter into a relationship with Christ? What does it look like? Or, are you seeing people be given an opportunity to become Christ-followers in their daily lives? What does that look like? Or, are you trying to comfort others who are going through crises mode? what does that look like to you? Or, are you trying to build Christian community? What does that look like to you?

Remember, vision must come first in order for you to know where you are going!