Shaping Your Vision
“The only thing worse than being blind, is having sight but not vision”
VISION IS ABOUT SEEING THE WAY FORWARD
We all need vision, a hope for the future, the ability to see a little further down the road.
Vision is not just about waiting for the way to be clear - vision is also the skill of creating your next steps, designing the path, solving the problems along the way and seeing the potential future.
Developing and articulating a clear vision is also an essential task of any leader. We cannot lead our organisations, businesses or communities without a sense of direction.
Right now there are many crises going on in the world. Wars, pandemics, climate change and economic challenges can make it difficult to see clearly down the track. But it's at times like this that I think having a vision and hope for the future are incredibly important. There are times when we need to pause and adapt our long term visions because of urgent needs and crises around us, but often it's in the middle of these times that we need to be able to look beyond them to the future.
At times it can also be overwhelming to think of the problems in the world and wonder if there is really anything we can do to help? I believe there is a way to think about this, without feeling the weight of the world on our shoulders alone.
One of my favourite leaders in the Bible is a Jewish leader called Nehemiah. Nehemiah was a senior government official serving in the 5th century BC in the Citadel of Susa (Ancient Iran). He was a Jewish exile living in a foreign land. He received sad news about how things were going in his home city of Jerusalem - that the walls were totally broken down and the gates had been set alight. The people living there were in great distress. The story tells us that when Nehemiah heard these things he sat down and wept. For some days he mourned and fasted and prayed to God.
Clearly Nehemiah had a strong passion for the fate of Jerusalem and compassion for the people who lived there.
He was also a man of vision.
Nehemiah asked for and was granted government permission to go visit Jerusalem. Once there, he set out at night, not telling anyone else what God put on his heart. He explored the wall, observing the holes and the problems. Only after this survey did he say to the people of Jerusalem, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire.” (Nehemiah 2:17). He began to get a vision for what could change. He thought about his abilities and how he could be part of change and make a difference. Then, in the second part of the verse, he says to people of Jerusalem, “Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and then we will no longer be in disgrace”.
Nehemiah broke down the mammoth task of rebuilding the city walls into much smaller sections and each family and group was assigned a portion of the wall to repair. As a result, the destroyed city walls were rebuilt and restored. And a great celebration was planned.
There are many problems in our world today. It can be overwhelming to think about where to start. One secret of Nehemiah’s success was that while looking at the problem as whole was overwhelming, he was able to divide up the job of rebuilding into more manageable tasks to be carried out by groups and individuals. Then together, with each group doing its part - the wall was rebuilt.
It can be the same for the major issues we face today.
One of the things that has really helped me is a simple children’s toy called the Shape-O. (Now, bear with me - you may have played with one of these as a child!)
What I love most about this toy is there’s a space for each of the unique pieces. All the individual pieces have a place and all are needed to complete the puzzle. I think this is true of our vision and the world.
I believe God has made each of us a certain “shape” and there are holes, gaps and spaces in the world that we are equipped to help with. Our shape may change and our opportunities also change somewhat over our lives and times, but I believe God has a purpose for each of us in each and every generation.
In the Bible we read:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
From these verses we learn that God has gone ahead of us and prepared good works for us to do in advance!
Perhaps like Jerusalem’s walls, there are areas of your city or nation that you see that are ‘broken’ – things that might cause you to be moved to tears and to want to fast and pray that things would be different. Maybe, like Nehemiah, God has placed something like this on your heart.
Can you see a vision for that area taking shape?
What would you like to see?
What is God putting on your heart?
What need in the world is God giving you a passion for?
Rebuilding something that is broken down? What do you see could be different in the world?
What abilities, skills or resources do you have that you could apply to that situation?
“ Where your talents and the needs of the world cross, there lies your vocation.”
We are not designed to carry the burdens of the world on our shoulders alone. But there are most likely some areas where we can help alongside others. Can you see a vision for your part?
Maybe now is a time to jot down some more ideas of a vision that is taking shape in your heart.
We cannot do everything, but we can do something.
Questions for Reflection and Action
What needs do you see around you that pull on your heart?
Is there an area that you feel passionate about that you think you can contribute to with your talents, time or resources?
If you are leading an organisation or business or community - is there a vision for the future that you can articulate, and create practical spaces for others to engage in? (like Nehemiah did).
If you have friends, colleagues or peers who would benefit learning more about shaping their vision, feel free to share this article with them.