What’s your day look like? Many of you may have an every day routine, or an every other day routine.
Is it comfortable?
I know mine is. Bear with me while I rant about my routine for a minute.
1. I get up around 7:30 am…OK, lets be honest. It varies 🙂
My husband, (bless his sweet heart) makes coffee every morning. I grab a cup of coffee with vanilla chai creamer, YUM, then plop myself on the couch with my Bible and journal.
2. After my time with God, I have breakfast, get ready, and after that do one of these things…
- go to school
- work on a video for one of my jobs
- some sort of marketing thing
The days vary with which thing comes after getting ready, but I can count on one of them. It’s become a routine, and it can become too comfortable.
How do you handle being under pressure? If something comes outside of your typical routine, is it hard for you to handle? Or (here’s the cliche question) Do you see the glass half empty or half full?
Here’s an interesting story. Two men were in prison for a very long time. They had one small window that only let a little bit of light shine through. One guy say the window as bars…metallic, ugly reminders of reality. The other guy looked through the window and saw the stars beyond. He had hope. The prisoners were looking at the same window, but one saw bars while the other saw stars. And the difference in their vision made a huge difference in their lives.
Vision is one of those character qualities that go along with courage and discipline. “The reason is simple: it takes too much work to be a visionary. It’s much easier to go with the flow and do what’s expected. It takes courage to break out of conventional thought patterns. It takes confidence and daring to risk failure with a new idea or new approach. ” (Bill Hybels)
So I get stuck in my routine. I do things just to finish them. I try and rush through them so I can squeeze something else into my day. Pretty much I’ve gotten into pattern of going through the motions. I’ve lost my vision.
Vision can be defined in many ways; vision is the God-given ability to see possible solutions to the everyday problems of life. “Visionary people are solution oriented, not problem oriented.” I’ve had Colossians 3:23-24 on my heart lately. It says, “Whatever you do work at it with all your Heart, as working for the Lord, not for man, since you know that you will receive an inheritance rom the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
I have been praying for God to refocus my vision, and how I look at things for a while now. I shouldn’t be comfortable in a rapidly growing ministry. There is so much out there. My husband and I are going through a trial and error stage…but through this, we are learning what ‘solution’ to take. Instead of looking at our setbacks with a pessimistic attitude, we have to consciously choose to be visionaries and set our gaze upward.
Being a visionary doesn’t just apply to to ministry or a job…It’s an important character for every day life. There are things all of us face; challenges, trials, disappointments, hurts…If we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by difficulties, our future is clouded by darkness.
This may be common sense to a lot of us. But sometimes, I’ll admit, I’ve been so overwhelmed and crippled by fear that its hard to be a visionary. In those times, it’s important to find a solution. Bill Hybels suggests four steps:
1. Repeat Matthew 19:26 ” With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” God is Way bigger than anythin we face.
2. Go to a place where you can be alone and seek God.
3. Meet with brothers and sisters in Christ you are solution-oriented people: not people who will fuel the problem.
4. In a spirit of humility, prayer and openness to the Holy Spirit, list four or five best possible solutions to my problem..Then by faith, start down the path of one of those solutions.
VISION IS NOT ONLY FOR PROBLEM SOLVING. Vision is the ability to see beneath the surface of people’s lives. Most of us have generalized, stereotyped, or judged another person. But instead of looking at the things we think are wrong with someone else, or whatever it is, visionaries see beyond it and look beneath the surface. They look at the heart, the character, and even the hopes and fears that motivate the person’s behavior. “Visionaries have an important mission to accomplish in the lives of others–looking past the obvious into the shadows, trying to draw out the greatness that God himself put there.”
We need visionary business leaders, parents, spouses, coaches, teachers, disciples…we need visionaries in all aspects of life. It takes vision to go beyond the ordinary– I heard a great quote one time, and it has stuck with since. ” People are born individuals, but most people die a second-rate version of someone else.” Sometimes we can get so caught up in trying to live someone else’s life that we forget..
“Vision is the God-given ability to catch a glimpse of what God wants to do through your life if you dedicate yourself to him.” We are unique. We all are different. We all have a call on our lives placed by God. In Acts 17:24-34, Paul is speaking to philosphers in Athens and at one point he says, ” From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he
marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” And he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. If you look at different translations, you find that God has placed every one of us where we are for a reason. Whether you are a Christian or not, you were placed where you are for a reason..the people around you, in your job, at school. Whatever you are doing, God had appointed the time for you to be there. God is a visionary for all of our lives…and we are all made in his image and likeness.
So, I’d encourage you, step our of your routine. Step out of your comfort zone. If something has been on your heart, do it. Have a new idea? TRY IT? Facing a problem? Look for a solution. Sometimes we read Hebrews 11, the great Hall of Faith chapter, and are in awe of Moses, and Abraham, David, Ruth, Mary… Remember they had faith in God, trusted in His vision, and went for it. We all can do it.
Don’t stay on the bench because your content with being on the team. Get in the game and make a play.
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