Where There Is No Vision

"Where there is no vision, the people perish."

How are you? Really ... If you're like everyone else I know, you've been effected in some way by this economic turbulence. One friend lost over 60% of his retirement investment. He had to "come out of retirement," just to pay his daily living expenses. "What else can I do?" he said. It's tough, I understand. And yet, God has advised us that times like these would come. They just so catch us by surprise, don't they? There doesn't seem to be any immediate relief on the way.

However, if you know your purpose in life, the one God has planned for you, then times like these are just part of the journey. I don't mean to minimize the situation. But I have come to realize that worrying about how things are doesn't fix anything for me. And as I understand what God's up to in the world, I'm able to navigate my path more patiently.

The writer of Proverbs wrote, "where there is no vision, the people perish." (29:18) We must have a vision of where God is taking us if we don't want to perish. When we understand the vision, our purpose comes into focus. And then we can begin to live in the reality of our purpose. Then when trials come upon us, we understand that it's just part of the life we're living. It doesn't make the suffering go away, but it helps us stay focused on the bigger picture, and the greater mission that God has for us.

Way too often we loose site of the fact that we're just travelers here on earth. This not our destination. We don't have to be controlled by the circumstances we find ourselves in. God has not given us a spirit of fear. If we find ourselves afraid of the future, then we're placing our trust in the wrong things. And with a proper vision for our future, we can find comfort in the fact that God knows a whole lot more about what's going on than we do. God is so much bigger than we give him credit for.


COACHING QUESTIONS:
1) Do you believe that God created you for a specific life purpose?
2) Speculate what that might be for you.
3) If money were not a concern, what is the one thing you would chose to do, if you could not fail?