What do you 'see?'

What joy I find in looking into my wife's face, taking in a sunrise, or watching a child play contentedly. Eyes are part of my amazing body, a gift of my Creator. Because of my age I need glasses to see the fine print, to do detailed work. I get frustrated when a job is in a tight spot where I cannot adjust my head to let me see through my bifocals, but I am very thankful that I can see. What would I do if my sight were taken from me? I would adjust, I'm sure, but the loss would be huge.

There is another kind of vision, just as important as that sight provided by our eyes. That vision is what we 'see' with our mind, our view of life, of the future, of our purpose in the plan of the Lord. In a deep discussion yesterday, when pressed about a critical issue, I had to admit, to my sorrow, that I had lost my vision in one part of my life! I could no longer a better future; hope for a different outcome, seek a better situation in that situation. That failure of vision has left me stuck, unable (or maybe unwilling?) to move towards God's will. My prayer is for healing of my sight, for faith to recreate vision.

God gives us the ability to see, by faith, what does not yet exist. That kind of vision gives 'big picture context' to the work of the day. Vision is the 'why' that informs the 'what.' For example, I can choose to view preparing sermons in two very different lights. It can be 'just doing my job, having something to fill 25 minutes in church on Sunday!' God help me, and the church I serve if that is my vision for preaching. When I 'see' the work as a God-given opportunity to nudge the flock along the road to godliness and towards eternal life, that 'vision' a delight rather than a duty.

Vision pulls us to invest in the future, even for eternity. A person who plants tree seedlings has to have vision! Trees do not grow quickly. An oak planted in the back yard won't be a shade tree to sit under for decades. If a person wants only immediate gratification, he will plant flowers. Petunias will grow quickly into flowering gardens. Is your vision shaped by eternal values, inspired by the Spirit, drawn into existence by faith? Have you excused yourself from pursuing a God-shaped vision because you believe it is easier to just settle for your present reality?

God calls us to active pursuit of the good He has purposed to do through us - patiently and persistently.  Andy Stanley writes, "The daily grind of life is hard on visions. Life is now. Bills are now. Crisis is now. Vision is later. It is easy, therefore, to lose sight of the main thing, to sacrifice the best for the good. All of us run the risk of allowing secondary issues to rob us of the joy of seeing our visions come to completion. Distractions slowly kill the vision." (Visioneering, Multnomah, 1999)

James uses the work of a farmer to illustrate the way to resist the deception of the day. "Wait patiently for the Master's Arrival. You see farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. The Master could arrive at any time." (James 5:7-8, The Message) Regain your vision. Remind yourself why you started down this road. Pray that God will set this day into the context of the larger picture of life for you, then - push ahead, steadily.

Paul stood before a pagan king who wanted to know why the apostle had chosen to live such a difficult life. The king wanted to know why he traveled, risked persecution, endured arrest and imprisonment. Paul described his calling beginning with his vision of Jesus on the road to Damascus. He said that the Lord told him, "I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.' Then, note what he tells the king- "So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven." (Acts 26:17-19, NIV) When the Spirit gives you vision - by revealing His will to your heart or by showing you the Word - what will you do with it?

Here's a word from the Word. Own it! "Then the LORD replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. "See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright- but the righteous will live by his faith." (Habakkuk 2:2-4, NIV)