Remaining close to vision

Vision is a tricky thing. In my experience, understanding a person’s vision is key to understanding why they do what they do–but often it seems like either we don’t know what our vision is, or we find it hard to express it. Once we’ve gotten a vision, the vision itself tends to be “forgotten” or “not thought about” because we get so wrapped up in the daily “doing” of it.

In this area I am reminded of the old rant–I think it was Stephen Covey who I first read ranting about this–that “busyness is a badge of honor.” This worldview suggests that if we are not busy, then obviously we are not important. A long time ago we bought a kid’s album called Philadelphia Chickens which is absolutely hysterical. One of the songs is called “Busy, Busy, Busy.” It has been on occasion quite convicting:

we’re very very busy and we’ve got a lot to do
and we haven’t got a minute to explain it all to you
for on Sunday Monday Tuesday there are people we must see
and on Wednesday Thursday Friday we’re as busy as can be
with our most important meetings and our most important calls
and we have to do so many things and post them on the walls
we have to hurry to the south and then we hurry north
and we’re talking every minute as we hurry back and forth
and we’re have to hurry to the east and then we hurry west
and we’re talking every minute and we don’t have time to rest
we have to do it faster or it never will be done
and we have no time for listening
or anything that’s fun.

Eventually the road gets hard. There are questions about what we are doing. And when we finally grind to a halt we are often faced with the proposition: “This is painful. It’s hard. No one is responding. Why are we doing what we are doing? _x_ is very successful at ministry _y_. Why aren’t we doing what x is doing? It looks like much more fun.”

There are two problems at work here.

First is the question of “the vision thing.” If we don’t have a vision or we’ve lost site of the vision, then we have a problem. It’s a pretty good sign that, in terms of the LeaderSource healthy development model, we’re no longer doing the first C: we are no longer close to Christ.

Heidi & I are presently going through the Experiencing God Bible study. I’ve been getting hammered left and right by both this study and the LeaderSource BHLs on one particular verse: “Abide in me, and I in you… apart from me you can do nothing.” The fruit of ministry does not come from how efficient and effective we are (although I am not denying the need to be both efficient and effective–but that’s for later). Fruit comes from abiding in Christ.

What is the fruit he promises us? He does not promise us great ministries with vast numbers of converts although he does say that the harvest is ripe and asks us to pray for workers to send into the fields. In fact, the Bible makes it clear that 1 plants, another waters, and a third harvests: which means you’ve got about a 2/3rd chance of not having a harvest at all. Stinks for you (and me), but that’s life. No, the only fruit I find we’re promised is: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. Have I missed anything?

Coming back to the point: we stay close to the vision God has given us by staying close to God. When we are close to God, we see things as God sees them. That’s where vision comes from.

The second problem is what we do about vision. This is where we’re tempted to be “BusyBusyBusy.” If we look at the life of Jesus or any of the apostles we can see that they too were busy – they filled their days with effective ministry. But note the many different kinds of ministry. Jesus drew away to spend time alone with the father–and didn’t feel bad about it. He drew away from the crowds and spend effective time alone with his disciples–and didn’t feel bad about it. He spent time with children–and didn’t feel bad about it.

I sometimes feel bad about it. But I am learning more and more that if the integrated sum of my life is not enjoying love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance–then somewhere I’m probably doing (or not doing) something I should be. I am becoming corrupted by a temptation of the world.

I am constantly convicted by words C.S. Lewis wrote in Screwtape Letters, a fictional book about a senior demon tempter writing to a junior:

You will say that these are very small sins, and doubtless like all young tempters you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy. It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one–the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.

How many of us have been tempted to busyness and away from staying close to Christ and His Vision: until we have lost sight of Vision and have become distanced from Christ altogether. Then when the road gets rough, we have no relationship or vision to fall back on to judge what we are doing and understand why we are doing it… so we are either tempted to quit altogether or to try to do what someone else is doing effectively. And eventually we lose our effectiveness because we have lost our vision.

Why did he quit? because he no longer could do anything effectively.

Why could he not be effective? because he was trying to do something another was doing but lacked the gifts.

Why was he trying to do something another was doing? because what he originally felt called to do wasn’t working, so he tried to do what he saw was effective.

Why didn’t he stick with what he was originally called to do? Because he lost sight of the vision and didn’t know why he was doing what he was doing.

Why did he lose sight of the vision? Because he was so busy that he grew distant from Christ.

The simplest solution for avoiding the temptations of the enemy (either to excessive busyness or excessive lazyness) is to stay close to God. “Doing” the Great Commission is always less important than “being” with Christ. Yes, you can be so spiritually minded that you’re no earthly good: but I have never seen this to be a problem in those who are close to Christ.

1. Is it time to close the Window?
2. 7 ways community helps vision
3. World Vision workers killed in Pakistan
4. Vision leads to health
5. Vision useless if not acted on

Tagged as: vision