Vision, What Is It?

Where there is no vision, there is no hope.  George Washington Carver

Vision without action is a daydream. Action with without vision is a nightmare. Persian Proverb

Vision, what is it?  The Merriam-Webster dictionary has this to say.  1: a manifestation to the senses of something immaterial.  2: the act or power of imagination.  3: mode of seeing or conceiving.  4: unusual discernment or foresight.

Vision is important in our lives.  If we do not have a vision for our life how will we know where we’re going?  As Merriam-Webster says above in the third example vision is a mode of seeing or conceiving.  If we do not see where we are going or if we’re not conceiving a plan for our future how can there be any hope for success?

I like what motivational speaker Dennis Waitley had to say.  “The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don't define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.”  Does this sound like having a vision?  It does to me.

I know that personally for me there are times when I forget or give up on the vision that the Lord has placed in my heart.  When this happens I stagnate, I falter, and I start to fail at whatever it is that I’m trying to do.  When I give up on my vision I have no choice but to fail.  I need the vision that the Lord has given me to move on and move forward.

We should all have the basic vision of life.  That is to be happy, to have a career that you enjoy, and if you’re a spouse or parent to be the best husband/wife and/or parent that you can be.  But we’re talking beyond that.  What do you want to do with your life, where do you see yourself being in five, ten, even twenty years from now?

Do you have that vision?  Where are you going?  Do you have set goals for your life?  What about God?  Have you ever asked God what His plan is for your life?  Three verses in Proverbs addresses this directly.  Proverbs 16:3 “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”  Proverbs 16:9 “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”  And Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.”

If we don’t have the Lord’s plan for our life then our plans, our vision for our life may not ever amount to anything and may not ever come to bear.  The visions we have for our lives may very well have been placed in our hearts by the Lord.  We simply need to go to him and ask him if our vision for our life is His vision for our life.  If it is, great!  If it’s not then we need to ask the Lord for Him to give us His vision for our life.  If we follow the vision the Lord has for us then we will be a success at our God given mission in life.

Be Blessed!

BIG SCOTT