How is your vision?

How is your vision? What a great question to ask yourself. Can I see where I am going? Are my eyes even open? Is anyone following me? Am I the blind leading the blind? Have I lost my direction due to poor vision? All good questions to ask ourselves from time to time. Most of us, at some point, need to go see an eye doctor as we get older. Why? Because, our vision tends to get blurry over time. It get’s harder to see things as they are, or see with accuracy what we are looking at. We begin to work harder to stay focused in order to get the same results as before.

I remember when I first began to struggle reading. No, not when I was a kid learning to read, but when I got older. I was unable to see words on paper clearly. The 1st thing I told my wife was, “We need to get some better lighting in this house”. So, we went shopping for a new lamp. I brought it home, and a few days later, I decided it was not enough light, so I proceeded to buy another lamp. Then another. Then another. Slow to learner, I guess. After about 5, or 6 new lights, I realized it was not the light in the house, but my vision. My vision was failing me. As a result, I decided to call an eye doctor friend of mine and he made a appointment for me to look at my eyes.

When I got there, he took me into a dark room and sat me in front of one of his eye machines to test my vision. He had me look into his machine and then tell him when I see something move. Then he had me look at lines on a chart about 10-12 feet away. What do you think he asked me? Yep, he asked “Can you see clearly line 3?” “Can you see line 4 clearly?”. You see, in order for him to help me see clearly, he needed to first see where I was in regards to my current vision. It is at that point that he can determine the right prescription for me, to make the right lenses for my glasses so that I can see clearly.

The truth of the matter is, unless I can see clearly, how can I ever have the confidence to know where I am going, understand what I am seeing, or interpret what I am reading. In the same manner, if my spiritual vision is impaired, or blurry, how can I lead the family, a team or a congregation in a direction that will have an impact, or a positive result? The answer is, I can’t, and neither can you. One day Jesus made a phenomenal statement that most people look at the wrong way. In Matthew 7:3-5 Jesus said, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.“

Most preachers and teachers focus on the first part of the verse and not the last part. Jesus made it clear. Get your vision right and then you can help others get their vision right. Get the log, sawdust, or whatever you want to call it, out of your eyes, and then you can see clearly how to help your brother get the log, sawdust, or whatever you want to call it, out of his/her eye. Have you ever read Heb 6:12, “do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” The ministry of Jesus was all about getting a clear vision. Seeing God for who He is and how He operates. We are all called to do the same thing. But, the key to helping others is to first, get the specks out of your own eyes. Getting clear spiritual vision takes discipline, training and time with the Holy Spirit teaching you how and what to do to get results. Clear vision is what makes great leaders and teachers. They not only learn how to get things done for themselves, they see clearly how to lead others though and by example, and with compassion, since they themselves have struggled with the same issues as those they are trying to help. These are the leaders that are the first ones in the fight, and they never ask others to do, what they themselves were not willing to do themselves.

Now, that is bringing me to the point of my original question. HOW IS YOUR VISION? I am talking to you leaders. How is your vision? Do you know where you are going? Does your team know where they are going? Do you have a plan? Have you written your plan for others to see? Has your team, or teams seen your plan? Are you moving to make your plan happen?

Recently, I decided to add a extension to my back patio. My wife and I wanted more space on the patio to relax and entertain, and to also to cover an area that the grass would not grow in, because of to much shade from created by the house. What do you think the first thing I did was? Do you think I just went to the back of the house and told some guy’s to extend my patio with no plan? Just do whatever comes to your head. No. It was my house and it needed to be my plan. My vision. My idea.

So, I came up with MY vision of what I wanted my patio extension to look like. I sat down at my computer and put to paper what I wanted. I worked on the drawings until I saw in print, what I clearly had envisioned. I put on paper the size, dimensions, materials and look that was in my head, in order to convey the vision I had for my patio. I made it so that everyone could see clearly to accomplish the work. Once I had finished, I could then share my vision with the team doing the work. It was up to me to have the vision. It was up to them to execute the vision. I did not have to know how to mix the concrete, set the brick, cut the stone, or anything else. I only had to come up with the vision and write it down clearly for others to see.

Now let’s take that and apply it to what God has clearly told us to do in scripture. 1st, get the vision. As a leader, you are the one that needs the vision. You first need to ask yourself, who’s vision should I be looking for? Let me make a suggestion here. GOD’S!!! You need God’s vision. The one He has for you. It is His vision that counts. He is the one that is the master architect of our life. He is the one with the plans for you and me. Jeremiah 29:11 say’s “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Wow, I like His plan. But God is a wise master builder. His plans for you always include plans to help others and is specific to you and your family. To prosper others and to benefit others. So go to Him 1st for the plans.

Second, once you get the plans/vision, write it down. This is critical. I don’t know how many people I know that will not write the plan, the vision. This is crazy. How are you going to lead without a plan? Who wants to follow anyone without a vision? Can you imagine trying to build a 50 story building with 300, or 500 people and say, “I don’t have any plans written down. Just build the building.” They would say, how wide, how tall, what material, what is it for, and so on? What would you say? It’s in my head, just build it. Just make it happen. Absolutely not. They can’t see what you see. They would never figure it out. Nothing would get done.

What did God say to do with your plan/vision? Hab. 2:2, Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision
and make it plain on tablets (Paper, flash drive, Iphone, computer, whatever), that he may run who reads it.” You must share your vision with the team, or you will have little to no results. And if you don’t have a vision to write, get one. Go to God in prayer and believe Him for one. Do you actually think that God is going to have plans for you and not share them? Go get the plans. See clearly and fulfill your purpose with gusto.

I sincerely hope that this helps you. Remember, God loves you and has a plan for every minute of your life. Go get it.

May God richly bless you and prosper you in all you do.