by When we hear talk about vision, we immediately think of corporate entities with tens or hundreds of people working toward some target that includes increased profit or shareholder earnings.
We sometimes associate it with very visible and high achieving individuals, especially in the world of entertainment, sport, academia or politics; individuals with lofty world changing groundbreaking ideas and innovations.
In some Christian circles, any mention of the word vision or associated topics such as vision manifestos or vision boards is frowned upon as new age concepts of manifesting.
Vision is in fact a biblical and Godly concept. God our creator had a vision for this world and the universe when He brought it into being.
Scripture in many places illustrates that God thinks and therefore ‘sees’ what He has desired for mankind and creation.
When the Word says that His thoughts are higher than ours and that He has good plans for us, it means He has envisioned it.
And when in Isaiah He reminds us that He is the one who knows the end from the beginning, does it not in essence mean that He has seen it?
When Abraham was given a mandate to leave his people and journey to Canaan, God basically gave him a vision of the new life He was walking into. When He again gave instructions to His people in the desert as they were approaching the Promised Land, He gave them a vision of the great blessings that awaited them if they abided in Him. But He also outlined quite graphically a vision of the horrors that awaited them if they forsook Him and His ways.
And yet perhaps the greatest vision that He had for mankind was its redemption from the deadly clutches of sin and death; a vision that He spelt out clearly through prophets in ages past before Christ was born.
The fact that new-agers may use the concept does not negate its place in the life of a believer in Christ. They have adopted it for themselves just as many biblical concepts on leadership and management have been borrowed by leaders and experts in organisations and many other platforms.
Anchored in Christ
For a believer in Christ, we know that when you talk about your vision for the year, for your career, your family, business, health or any other facet of your life, it is firmly anchored in Christ. Our visions are informed by the leading of the Holy Spirit as we seek guidance in prayer for the year ahead.
It is not an abstract and complex concept. Whether you are a corporate leader or a stay at home mum, growing a business or a parent navigating the unsettling and complex teenage years, you have a few desires on how you would like to see life unfold and where you would like to be this year. That is basically a vision. You may want to grow in your study of scripture or have more time with your family, or run a small business by the side or even save a certain amount of money. These are all visions.
However many times they remain just that and you come to the end of the year and you have done nothing in that particular direction.
When you take time at the beginning of the year to pray and think about and write down your vision, you gain valuable clarity on how the year will unfold.
Valorie Burton, founder of the Successful Women’s Academy and a believer in Christ, observes that the clarity that comes with taking time to work on your vision will also pull you forward, inspire you and reduce anxiety.
When you write the vision and make it plain as in the words of the scripture in Habakkuk, you give yourself the best opportunity to focus your efforts.
Clarifying your vision leads you to:
- Creating a plan for its execution.
- Outlining actions that you must accomplish in order to move towards it.
- Identifying growth gaps (fears, habits, distractions, obstacles) that can get in the way.
- Mapping out interventions that close these gaps (for instance through education, training, accountability etc).
When you are intentional in this way, you will most definitely grow.
Remember that a vision is not static. It may not even manifest fully within the calendar year. Sometimes it may take more time than you had thought, in order to see its full realisation or reap the rewards.
Even then the Word of God encourages that ‘if it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay’.
When you are working on your vision, you are in essence also growing to become the person who will have the capacity to hold the vision and, therefore, there is no loss or delay.
(Habakkuk 2:2-3)
