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Vision II

             Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction. (Proverbs 29:88 NIV)

            Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law. (Proverbs 29:18 ESV) 

            Yes, this is the same verse as yesterday because this morning I have more to say about it than I did yesterday. As vital as it is for us to develop a vision and a means of communicating it effectively to others, it is also critical that we develop a vision that is strong enough to inspire us. This is old news. I’ve mentioned Viktor Frankl’s idea that when you have a why you can survive the how. When you have an active, real goal, you’re more likely to reach it partly because you’ll keep it in your thoughts and put more effort into achieving it.

            Think of it this way: suppose you have a day in which you feel the need to get the kitchen cleaned but have to take the dog for a walk and harvest your garden first. You work your way through the first two tasks because they free you to do the third, and you may not complete the third, but you make good progress. Now, suppose you have a day in which you know you have to take the dog for a walk and harvest the garden, but don’t really have any ideas for the rest of the day. You float from this thing to the next, and may end the day having accomplished little.

            When it comes to our spiritual lives, I suspect we float a lot. Yes, we may study Scripture, but are we catching the vision of what God wants for us? Are we actively working toward becoming more like Christ, or are we “leaving it up to God”? Is there anything in God’s inspired Word that inspires us, or have we effectively gotten our tickets to heaven and, well, life is life?

            I think I tend to float. Oh, I do a lot of stuff, but it’s busy work. It’s not connected to me beyond my doing it. Now, this past weekend some directional bits- attending a church service I knew would be all about “community” and not about teaching and going to a picnic. I have a thing about community. I’m no good at it because I tend to have an independent attitude, but I have a vision about community as a coming together of individuals (rather than being about controlling others.) I keep wondering what I’m supposed to do to build community, and God made the strong suggestion that the next step is just to show up.

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