The Gift of Vision
I’ll never forget the first time I heard Bill Hybels, the pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, give a definition for what he called “Vision”. I had never heard of “vision” before in this context. He said “Leaders have the spiritual responsibility to have vision. Vision is the the ability to see what CAN BE and not just what is.” My first thought when he said that was “I’m not crazy!” I grew up in a traditional church, and in a traditional church, if “what is” is even mentioned, that is a win, because “what used to be” usually rules the day in a traditional church.
So as I grew in my leadership gifts, I took seriously my role as a leader to be faithful to see what can be in the lives of the people I led, and in the life of the church I was leading. It was a gift God had given me and I was good at it.
When Trisha and I separated, I realized that the gift of vision is a gift that can be and should be applied to all areas of my life. As successful as I had become at having vision in ministry, I was equally a failure at applying that to my marriage and in my relationship with my kids. I was traditional…I only saw what was or what used to be, not what could be.
The gift of vision in your marriage gives you hope. When you don’t have hope in your marriage, the end is near. When you take the time to see what could be in your marriage, you don’t focus on what used to be. Your focus isn’t on mistakes that were made 5 years ago, or regrets that you have that you can’t go back and undo. When you have vision, you have a picture of what can and should be in your marriage, and then you have the hope to pursue that vision with intensity and intentionality.
The gift of vision as a parent allows you to see potential not present failures. When you have a vision in your mind of who God has created your child to be, you are then a tool that God has placed in their life to draw out their potential, not point out their failures. You see what can be and you encourage and coach and mold and shape and speak life into them.
How much better could your marriage be if you took some time to seek God’s vision for your marriage? Rather than always focusing on what it isn’t (believe me your spouse doesn’t need one more reminder of ALL that your marriage isn’t, they already know), you choose to focus on what could be, and you passionately pursue that together. How much more impact could you have in your kid’s life if you helped them catch a vision for who God has called them to be. All of a sudden you cheer them on at things that you aren’t passionate about, but they are. You see the potential they have to be an artist or a musician, you see how much they love writing or acting or a particular sport. When you can see what could be and not just what is for you child and you spur them on to pursue that, you capture their heart!
Do you have trouble seeing what could be in your marriage or in your relationship with your kids? Do you have the gift of vision?
5 Comments to “The Gift of Vision”
Leave a Reply
So what if you don't have "the gift of vision"? Don't feel "hope"? Is it over, is it pointless to keep trying….
Kinda scary how much you are in my head…starting to tick me off!
Really needed to read that this moring…i also read this today, before your post…
1 Samuel 2:6 (The Message)
6-10 God brings death and God brings life,
brings down to the grave and raises up.
God brings poverty and God brings wealth;
he lowers, he also lifts up.
He puts poor people on their feet again;
he rekindles burned-out lives with fresh hope,
Restoring dignity and respect to their lives—
a place in the sun!
Cshell…I firmly believe this is something you can pray for and receive from God. It is the only reason why my wife took me back. She had nothing to bank on other than what could be…and she didn't have that capacity within herself…it had to come from God. So, my advice would be if you don't have the gift of vision, ask for it. Beg for it…and then act as though you have it. So often in my own life, right feelings have followed right actions. Sorry to be in your head!
I can see the vision of my marriage put back together…. I don't want it to be just" wishful thinking."
Thanks for the encouragement!
"Accidental complacency" is one of my greatest fears in marriage. Thanks for vocalising the antidote!
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Justin Davis, Justin Davis, Justin Davis, rebeccannb, Kenny Silva and others. Kenny Silva said: RT @justindavis33: If you don't have vision, you don't have hope. Without hope, the end is near! http://bit.ly/b4kLEL [...]