Happy New Year!
New Year's eve is like every other night; there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moment of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights. ~Hamilton Wright Mabie
What it being the beginning of a new year and all, I am sure that many of you have been thinking about resolutions and goals for 2008 – and perhaps thinking of the frustration that happens when we don’t keep them. I would like to challenge you to write out your vision for your LIFE. Sometimes we choose a resolution or a goal just because we think we should. But, perhaps if we looked at the blueprint of our whole life, we might get a better view of what our resolutions and goals should be. Those goals will be how we attain our vision.
New Year's eve is like every other night; there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moment of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights. ~Hamilton Wright Mabie
What it being the beginning of a new year and all, I am sure that many of you have been thinking about resolutions and goals for 2008 – and perhaps thinking of the frustration that happens when we don’t keep them. I would like to challenge you to write out your vision for your LIFE. Sometimes we choose a resolution or a goal just because we think we should. But, perhaps if we looked at the blueprint of our whole life, we might get a better view of what our resolutions and goals should be. Those goals will be how we attain our vision.
Your vision for your life is how you SEE your life, the way that you want it to be--or better yet how God SEES your life. This will, of course, be different for each one of us as each of us is unique.
A vision HAS to be WRITTEN. You will not be able to see it if it is not written down in a place where you will see it often. Habakkuk 2:2-3 says, "And the Lord answered me and said, "Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry."
We will get so much more accomplished when we have what we are trying to accomplish written down. When we have our vision before our eyes and "good" stuff comes along, we can make a decision regarding it – based on our vision. Even IF it is a good thing, if it doesn't fit in with our vision, then it isn't for us. There are too many good things in life. We cannot do them all. Especially not all at the same time. We need to keep our eyes focused on what God has called us to do. We will get further along if we have the road map in front of us. If we do not know where we are going, we WILL get SOMEWHERE, but it probably won't be where we were supposed to go or wanted to go.
If you already have a vision written out, take a good look at it and see if it needs any revisions. It might be a good idea to take a look at your 2007 vision and goals and check where you are. Now, revision can be a good thing. As you start making strides in accomplishing your vision, you may find God asking more (or even different) things from you. When should you not revise? When you find yourself wanting to revise your vision to fit what you want to do at the moment. We can call that “justification”. :-) So, whether you are writing out a vision for the first time or revising last years, please take it to the Lord. Ask Him what it needs to contain.
Please leave a comment if you have a written vision or when you do write one. It would be interesting to know that the people “around” me are catching the vision. (Yes, the pun was intended.) Please feel free to share your vision with the rest of us, if you feel so inclined.
My vision is hanging by my computer in a nice frame. I want my vision to be visible to myself and to others, so that they can see plainly what my life is about. It will bring glory to God and hold me accountable.
Here is my vision that I wrote on September 20, 2003:
My desire is to live a life that is devoted to God and my family.
I see everything I do blessing God, others or myself.
I see a life that is not being directed by stress, worry or urgency.
I see myself living life beautifully.
I see myself making life more pleasant for myself and others.
I see myself living an enhanced life.
Notice the use of the word "see". I had not used it in my first version and my husband pointed it out. This isn't just a wish list or something I hope to be or do; it needs to be how I SEE my life. Oh, I haven’t attained it yet; however, it is what I believe God wants for my life.
So, how do you SEE your life?
My Wage
I bargained with Life for a penny,
And Life would pay no more,
However I begged at evening
When I counted my scanty store.
For Life is a just employer,
He gives you what you ask,
But once you have set the wages,
Why, you must bear the task.
I worked for a menial’s hire,
Only to learn, dismayed,
That any wage I had asked of Life,
Life would have willingly paid.
-- Jessie Belle Rittenhouse (1869–1948)
I have my written vision. My husband has his. Our family has ours. --sk*
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