Get Clear on Your Vision or Just Get By
I was mid-carpooling duties when I caught myself in a terrible attitude. It’s summer time, and it felt like nothing had changed from the bustle of school months. My kids are old enough to make plans and young enough to need rides. Where was my summer break? Why couldn’t I take a mom vacation?
At a stop light God spoke to my heart. He said, “Your life is happening right now in this car with these kids at this stop light. This is it. This is the one precious life you have been given. What will you do with it?”
He took that line directly from a Mary Oliver quote, but I’m sure He knows that. She said, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
It was a timely reminder that life is chock full of mundane moments and I get to decide how to interpret them. They will either be the worst for their lack of entertainment or they will be my joy because I get to live them.
It was also a reminder that God and me together are my best cheerleaders. Only God knows the plans He has for me, and it is my job to discover them, nurture them, and pursue them wholeheartedly, no one else’s. Actually, it’s not my job, but my joy.
The difference between walking through life with a sense of fulfillment and just getting by is having vision.
Vision brings clarity to what we do. It brings energy and inspiration. It brings peace to our days. Vision isn’t the same as having lofty goals to be a #girlboss or make money or attain status. It’s just knowing what you’re about and where you’re going, at least some of the time. It’s settling joyfully into the cards that have been dealt and choosing to keep moving forward in the opportunities given.
In John we see a good outline of how Jesus intended us to live our days.
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” (John 15:16, ESV)
We see that our vision is centered on Him.
Jesus constantly re-arranges our thinking around being His children, being like clay molded for his purposes, not just pursuing things that feel right to us. That doesn’t mean all of our work will be ministry. But it means that all of it should be prayerfully considered and led by Him to the best of our ability.
We see that vision should be fruitful.
If we are constantly coming to dead ends and it feels our efforts are being thwarted, sometimes that means we are not on the right track. He promises us spiritual success, if not material success. When we align our purposes with his, we can ask for help and receive it. He is always interested in furthering his people and their God-centric work in the world.
Walk it out with Him one step at a time.
As we start walking in step with Him instead of as busy-bee lone rangers, it changes everything. Our attitude changes. We can rest where we are, even when we can’t see the outcome, knowing that it will be fruitful. It removes our constant dissatisfaction with the moment we’re living in - the carpool or the cleaning or the waiting for a better job.
Remember that God’s purposes for us are fixed but the expression of those purposes is fluid. It looks different in different times of our lives. You may be busier than ever with fulfilling work or in a dry time where you’re wondering what in the world to do next. Continue to pursue his unique calling for you in this particular season of life, let go of striving for personal success, and move forward in faith as you see the next step to take.
Questions to ask yourself in this moment.
What does my attitude say about how I’m feeling about my life in this moment?
Am I seeking God’s guidance for my personal and business life or am I just choosing my own way (including big and small decisions)?
Why or why not?
Questions to ask God.
God, is there any area of my life that needs to be more aligned with the purposes you already created for me? Will you show me and guide me in it so I can be fulfilled and fruitful?
Your Mission.
Commit this week to set aside even a small amount of time in your calendar for prayer and contemplation for the next few months of your life. Grab a journal and jot down whatever comes to mind. Determine that it will not just pass by but be fruitful. Seek even one piece of vision for it so you can wake up each morning with excitement for where you are and what you’re about. It will make a huge difference.
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More resources to guide you