Big Visions

Ahh, it has been a while since I felt like I could sit down and write! (No doubt, I don't even recognize this site and hope it comes out correctly with all the changes Blogger is making!) Hopefully this summer will give me a chance to breathe and fill that much needed alone time with God. I want to hear Him and be able to spend sometime writing things out, this seems to be when I learn the most. Everything that I put down into words helps me to really look at the truth which is in front of me. I need that and love that!

Spring time, a time of new beginnings and fresh starts. It is a time to listen and prepare for what lies ahead. I have had a theme recently in my life. I pay close attention to my themes. When I have one I know that God is trying to show me something. Every Spring for the past couple of years I have had a vision. It is a vision .... (A big vision and I kind of feel like a fool even telling you or anyone about it) In my vision, in my dream, I am talking to a very large crowd of mainly college kids. I can see the entire event! I see a play that depicts what the lesson is about. I see the musicians rocking the place out. I see me speaking. I can see it! It is a dream, a vision that God is giving me, something that inspires me to reach deeper and strive harder for more than what I am already doing. But with this vision there comes some stipulations and other things that I know nothing about. With my "big vision" in mind, what is my ultimate goal? I must look at what is right in front of me. I must concentrate on the here and now, but I am always looking ahead. My ultimate goal, my really big vision was given to me many years ago and this is the real goal I have to concentrate on while I am running this race and striving for "the big speaking opportunity". So in all reality I have two "big" visions. One is what I am "doing" (speaking to others), but it is not the real one. The real one is this one, I desire to be a friend of God. Many years ago I read this, Exodus 33:17, The Lord replied to Moses, “I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and you are my friend,” (NLT).

Whatever I am doing, wherever I go, I want to be a friend of God! If my "big" vision, my dream, is to be speaking in front of a really big audience and this takes me closer to my ultimate vision of being a friend of God, then I want it like non other. But if that vision gets in the way of being a friend of God, then please God don't let me have it. In keeping what is really important right in front of me, I will not get disappointed if my dream does not come true. I can relax and see that God's real desire for me, His vision for my life is for me to become His friend.... and I can live with that.

Philippians 3:14, "... I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us." I press on to reach the end of this race, my award is hearing God tell me, "You are my friend." That is my reward, no matter what I do or do not do here in this world. This is my ultimate vision. If I can keep this true prize in front of me while I run this race for what I see God calling me to do then I don't have to worry about missing Him. I don't have to worry about doing the "wrong" thing, because He will keep me close to Him and become my friend. It is not about winning His approval by what I am or am not doing. It is all about spending time with Him, just hanging out no matter where we go. Friends spend time together. They love each other and accept each other. They desire to always be together.

This is my vision. What is yours? Is your vision all about what is going on in your physical life? Are you able to separate and ask Him what He really wants with you? Can you accept what He truly desires, or are you going to be disappointed if you cannot achieve that dream? This is a wonderful life. Whether you enjoy it or not depends on your expectations. What are they? All of our choices whether they are a good choice or a poor one depends on these few questions: How is this going to affect my relationship with God, with my family, with my friends.  How are others to be affected if I do___?  If we are having a hard time with what is going on in our life, how does what we do affect these things?  Always keeping your priorities in this order will help you make the appropriate decisions.  We all have to continually be checking ourselves.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.  Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.  No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

http://utmost.org/the-patience-to-wait-for-the-vision/