There she was, my eleven-year-old daughter trying on her first pair of glasses. Not only was she looking way too grown up for my taste, she was looking. As we walked around the store later her eyes were wide with wonder as she was able to read clearly that which was but a few moments before a blur. The fascination continued in the car trip home. She constantly marveled at the signs she could now read and the details she could now see. Vision was restored, and she didn't even realize how poor her eyesight had become.
That's the way it is with many of us. We often need vision revealed to us. It doesn't come naturally or easily. We need someone to correct our sight and re-focus our eyes on that which really matters. God has done this throughout my life. He has used parents, grandparents, professors, ministers, my wife, and even my children to adjust my vision. But His greatest tool has been His Word. When I am in the Word daily, my vision is clear. But if I miss a day, or two, or fifteen, the vision returns to a weakened state. That which should be clear is fuzzy, and I get very nearsighted, focusing only on the things that immediately affect me.
As we start a new year, my prayer is that my vision is His vision, and that I keep my eyes open to it. As a preaching minister, part of my ministry is casting a vision for the congregation I serve. It is a daunting and humbling task. Only after much prayer and consultation did I move forward, and even then it was with the nervousness of one who is about to attempt something he is not quite sure he is capable of completing. But that's the point! I am not capable. Thus, when the vision is achieved, God, not I, gets all the glory and praise.
My hope is that you realize God's vision for your life and for your local congregation. 2011 holds much potential, but it will only be realized when we begin to see it clearly.
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