There is a verse in the Bible (Proverbs 29:18) that says:
Where there is no vision, the people perish.
But why?
Why do the people perish without vision?
What IS vision?
Do you have it?
Do I?
Why is vision so important?
Let’s begin with the basic question:
What is vision?
I am guessing the main time most of us
encounter the word “vision” is when we set up
an appointment to get our eyes tested for glasses.
Having vision, in this case, is having our ideal ability to see the physical environment.
If we don’t have that vision, we can certainly perish–in a car crash, or other mishap.
We are probably also familiar with the fact that a company has a vision statement.
In this case, their vision expresses the ideals that guide their business venture.
Without a strong vision, their business may perish.
Political leaders offer a vision to voters that expresses their ideal goals
for the city, state or country they are seeking to lead.
Without an inspiring vision, their campaign and their role as a leader may perish.
Spiritual leaders offer people a vision of the ideal faith of a believer:
they explain what God asks us to believe, to be, and to do.
Without a compelling vision, their ministry may perish.
Some of us may have been encouraged
to write an individual vision statement expressing the ideal outcomes
(personal, spiritual, educational, relational, financial, political, etc.)
that we hold up to guide our own life.
Without a life vision, our happiness and fulfillment may perish.
In all these dimensions,
we can see that vision is an ideal.
Vision is an ideal picture of life toward which we strive.
Having vision means we have an ideal picture inside us
AND
we have the capacity to SEE and embrace and build with
the ideal pictures that we and others hold up.
Is vision important?
Yes.
The capacity to see and embrace and build our ideals
is essential to the health of our mind, body and soul.
Why do we perish without vision?
Because our vision is what gives us hope.
And hope is what keeps us alive.
Our hopeful vision
gives us our dream of the future.
Our hopeful vision
makes us eager to get up in the morning
so we can spend our whole day building our dream.
Shall we talk about how to become a person with vision?
In other words, how to become a dreamer?
Let’s do it!