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The Other Side of Vision

There is, however, another side of vision.  Although it inspires us to maintain a positive outlook, although it guides us toward a brighter tomorrow, we can’t deny a major challenge associated with vision: vision contradicts present circumstances.  The Bible story of Abraham and Sarah exemplifies this truth (see Genesis 15-21).  God promises this elderly couple a son.  But Sarah grows impatient as time passes, for it isn’t everyday that elderly women conceive.  Tired of waiting for God to come through on His promise, Sarah tells Abraham to impregnate their younger maidservant Hagar, so that she may bear a son.  Abraham thinks this is a great idea!  But once Hagar bears a son, the plot thickens, as a jealous Sarah orders Abraham to send Hagar and her baby boy, Ishmael, away to a distant land.  Now, consider the emotional turmoil caused by this scandalous affair: Sarah had to deal with baby-momma drama; Hagar had to settle for being the other woman; and Abraham had to deal with resentment from both women.  What a mess!  Even more, this drama could have been avoided had Abraham and Sarah waited on God’s promise to manifest, for Sarah did eventually bear a son, Isaac.   

Unfortunately, when God gives us a vision, when He makes a promise, when He shows us what could be, many of us respond like Abraham and Sarah.  Because a God-given vision of what can happen seems impossible in light of what is happening or what has happened, we often lose heart.  Instead of holding out for God’s best—the relationships we’ve always wanted, the career we’ve always dreamed of, the ministry we’ve always imagined—we mimic Abraham and Sarah by settling for less.  We allow our present circumstances to snuff our hopes of a brighter future.

Nevertheless, although it contradicts present circumstances, we still need vision.  In order to withstand life’s storms and overcome life’s challenges, we need a picture of what could be and what should be.  To bolster this point, we’ll consider a few verses in the book of Habakkuk.  While the Israelites are undergoing immense despair at the hands of the Chaldeans, the prophet voices his concern to God.  Habakkuk wants to know just how long God will allow this misfortune to continue.  God, however, is more concerned with how the Israelites handle their difficulty than He is with removing their difficulty.  In response to Habakkuk’s cry, God instructs the prophet to write the vision for a brighter future, and then urges him to wait expectantly for the manifestation of the vision.  God knows that it is vision that will enable the Israelites to endure their present circumstances.  Just as the Israelites needed vision in the midst of adversity, so also we need vision in order to overcome adversity.  Specifically, we must write the vision clearly, and wait for it expectantly.

Vision- Part One

I'm not as far along in life as I thought I’d be.  As I write, I’m twenty-nine years old, and I thought I’d have a Ph.D. by thirty.  Though I’m working toward the degree, I won’t make this deadline.  I’m still trying to figure out how to make that first million.  I don’t own a big house on a hill, and I can’t afford the Lexus LS.  As much as I’d love to be both, I’m neither a husband nor a father.  Physically, I’m not where I want to be: I’ve been trying to get a six-pack for about six years, and nothing seems to be working.  Emotionally, I still have some issues to work through.  I wouldn’t say my devotional life is bad, but there is room for improvement, for I still rush my prayers every now and then.  Sometimes when I read my Bible, my mind is elsewhere.  I haven’t arrived as a preacher, teacher, scholar, leader, or writer.  No, I’m not as far along in life as I thought I’d be. 

        Nevertheless, I still have a vision—a mental picture of what could be and what should be.  I still envision myself as financially free, emotionally whole, and physically fit.  I still picture myself effectively communicating God’s Word through preaching, teaching, and writing.  I still imagine myself as a devoted family man, a man who draws closer and closer to God each day.

        And that’s the power of vision.  Despite present circumstances, despite current struggles, vision enables us to see what could be and what should be.  Vision enables us to endure today’s trials without losing sight of tomorrow’s positive possibilities.  As the yellow brick road guided Dorothy and her crew to the Wizard of Oz, so vision guides us toward overcoming our obstacles and realizing our potential.  And in order to overcome life’s trying times, we need vision.  We must see ourselves becoming who and what God has called us to be, and doing what God has called us to do. 

Dreamers Wear Nike

Like Nike, dreamers just do it!  Dreamers know that it’s one thing to talk about it, but another thing to be about it.  Yes, dreamers discuss and describe what they’re going to do.  But once they’re done talking, they get to work.  They get the job done.  They execute.  They realize that talk is cheap.  They realize that a dream is nothing if you don’t follow through—if you don’t pursue it, if you don’t chase it. 

Dreams

As a boy, I used to imagine myself as the best player in the NBA.  Not even Michael Jordan could stop me.  And one night, my team was up against Jordan and the Bulls.  On one play, while Jordan was guarding me, he didn’t know what to expect.  Was I going to shoot a three-pointer in his face or take him to the hoop?  I sized him up, faked right, and then drove left.  As I burnt him, Bulls center Bill Cartwright tried to help out, but was too late.  When I dunked on Cartwright, the crowd went wild: “Larry!  Larry!  Larry!”  The commentators yelled, “There’s a new star in town, folks!  Look out Michael Jordan.  Here comes Larry Enis!” 

The Choice Is Yours

My decision to go to college was a last minute one.  The summer after graduating high school, I was a stock boy at a local grocery store, Farmer Jack.  On a typical day, I’d play basketball in the afternoons and work during the evenings.  This was my life—no plans, no strategy, no goals.  But near the end of the summer, as my high school classmates were preparing for college, I began to feel left out and left behind.  As they were setting sail to explore the unknown, I was bagging groceries, pushing shopping carts, and building displays for the weekly specials.  They say that any legal job is a good job, but I still felt as if I were squandering my potential, as if I were selling myself short. 

Faith=Uncommon Sense

A few years ago, I read the book An Outrageous Commitment, by renowned relationship counselor Dr. Ronn Elmore.  In his view, marriages that last—those that stick it out through thick and thin—adhere to the Vow of Uncommon Sense: “Uncommon sense is to act as if what may at first appear to be irreversible circumstances are not at all….Uncommon sense is lavish and unreserved in its expression.  It is not blind to present reality, but does not insist that present realities alone can predict the future.”  Uncommon sense chooses forgiveness over bitterness, compromise over selfishness, and hopefulness over hopelessness.  In short, uncommon sense treads against the grain of conventional thought.  And in my view, what Elmore provides is a workable definition of “faith.”  Faith is uncommon sense, inasmuch as it considers what can be, despite what was or what is.  When we’re guided by faith, by uncommon sense, by unconventional thought, we’re able to find purpose in pain, to maintain our composure in the midst of chaos, and to hope in seemingly hopeless situations.  In a famous passage of Scripture, the writer of Hebrews puts it like this: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (11:1).  Put another way, faith is proof when we have nothing else to show as proof.  Faith is assurance in the midst of uncertainty.  Faith is confirmation when there is no manifestation.  In other words, faith is uncommon sense.

More Causes of Unwise Choices (Cont.)

Another cause of unwise choices is impatience.  And I confess: I lack patience.  In fact, just the other day, I stopped by Wal-Mart to pick up a few items: a whole rotisserie chicken, a bag of grapes, and a can of almonds.  (I’m on a diet!)  Hoping to be in and out in a flash, I went to the 20 Items or Less line.  While in line, I was getting frustrated for two reasons: the first customer at the register needed a price check; the second was actually paying with a check.  Ugh!  As I was fidgeting impatiently, I got a bright idea:

More Causes of Unwise Choices

The first is inadequate information.  Because of inadequate information, we often make emotionally-driven decisions.  And our emotions can be tricky.  They’ll convince us to enter relationships we’re not ready for, reach for what will eventually hurt us, buy what we can’t afford, and make ill-informed decisions.  Let’s say you’re looking for a used car, and something catches your eye. 

The Three Scrooges: Naysayers

Members of the third group of scrooges, Naysayers, go out of their way to tell you why you can’t succeed, why your plans won’t work, and what you don’t have.  They focus on what can go wrong, rather than what can go right.  Instead of encouraging you, Naysayers provoke you to renege on your aspirations.  They assault you with their buddy—the three-headed monster of doubt and fear and insecurity.  To prevent Naysayers and company from clogging my head with negative thoughts, I avoid them like the plague.  And I suggest you do the same.  We don’t have time for them.  We have dreams to chase, goals to accomplish, and a purpose to fulfill.  The last thing we need is a Naysayer muddying our path. 

The Three Scrooges: Joy-Stealers

The second group of scrooges, Joy-Stealers, comes like a thief in the night.  These sneaky critters may not overtly attack you, but by the time they’re finished with you, you’re left with nothing but confusion, depression, and despondency.  If you let them, they’ll cunningly contaminate your mind with cruddy thoughts.  A Joy-Stealer will take your good news, mix it up in his “joy-stealer bowl,” and serve it back to you as bad news.  One of my friends is a Joy-Stealer.  He’s been one for years.  His sour, irksome remarks would leave me wondering, “What did he mean by that?  Was he suggesting that…?  Was he implying that…?”  By the time we finished talking, my head would be filled with dreary, discouraging thoughts.  Therefore, although I value his friendship, I now keep our conversations short.  That way I minimize my chances of contracting the negative attitude virus.