Vision check

I need new glasses. It's been a few years, and I've been noticing that things are starting to get a little fuzzy. I think I might try a Groupon this time, seeing as my mom had a good experience with one recently. My plans for new glasses aren't really worth writing about, but it's got me thinking about vision in general. In Deep & Wide, Andy Stanley writes about the need for churches to have a "God-honoring, mouthwatering, unambiguously clear vision." (page 270) He asserts that without this clarity of vision, churches will not be able to make the types of changes necessary to do what they are meant to do. I believe this applies to our individual lives as well. If we don't have a clear vision for our lives, then we are likely to make decisions that simply move us further along the path we're already on. Is this a problem? For me, at least, it is. My heart has been gripped with a deep desire to live a life that's about more than just me. I don't want to default to the path of ease and comfort, the path that I'm told I deserve. I want a path that gives me opportunities to be part of making a difference in the world, even if it is messy and uncomfortable and doesn't look much like the path our culture tells me is most desirable.

This past weekend we had the great privilege of hearing from two former senior pastors as we celebrated the 75th anniversary of First Alliance Church. It was a wonderful service, and I was reminded of just how much I appreciate Terry Young's preaching! He spoke about story, and how many of us get caught up in a story that's all about us. He pointed us to Jesus, and reminded us that we are part of a much bigger story, a story of redemption. I want to be part of that bigger story. I want to be part of something that points people to freedom, that helps them find a path that leads them to the love of Jesus.

This is where our vision can start to blur, though. We are faced with opportunities every day. Suffering and need are everywhere - where do we start? How do we help? Children without families, flood victims without homes, slaves without freedom... The needs can be overwhelming and paralyzing: in a world with so much need, how can I make a difference? This, I believe, is where vision comes in. The fact that I can't do everything should not stop me from doing something, so I need to figure out what that something is. I need vision. I am reminded of something else Pastor Terry said once. He was talking about what we spend our lives doing, and how many people talk about their need to learn to say 'no.' He suggested that perhaps we really need to learn to say 'yes.' Maybe we need to figure out what it is we're meant to do, say "Yes!" to that, and the rest will fall in to place. This is clarity of vision. Too bad there's no Groupon for that!

So, what is my 'yes'? What is my vision? Am I going to default to the comfortable, relatively easy path of living for those things our culture tells me to live for? Or am I going to let God expand my vision and lead me to a path that lets me be part of something much more adventurous, messy, breathtaking and significant? If I am not intentional about pursuing a God-sized vision, I'm in danger of settling for a Colleen-sized vision. I'm convinced there's more to life than that. I believe our world needs us to pursue a vision that will take us far beyond ourselves, a vision that will "bring good news to the poor and proclaim freedom for the prisoners." (Luke 4:18)

Lord, give us a vision of what it means to be your hands, your feet, your heart, your body in a world that desperately needs to know You. Help us see!