Dreams, pt. 4
My adorable husband has a book called Visioneering by Andy Stanley. My mom asked to borrow it and he got it out and started to re-read it before giving it to her. He got caught up in the book, reviewing notes in it that he found interesting…notes he had written 5 or 6 years ago. He couldn’t put the book down and decided to just buy a new copy for my parents, instead of giving them his copy. While he was at it he picked up another copy for me. Ironically, he didn’t know what I’ve been blogging about and thinking about lately. Apparently he hasn’t checked my blog in awhile. However, this book totally relates to what I’ve been mulling over in my mind and heart and has given me a little bit of clarity.
The very first chapter grabbed my attention. Stanley says this,
What is a vision?
Where to they come from?
Visions are born in the soul of a man or woman who is consumed with the tension between what is and what could be. Anyone who is emotionally involved—frustrated, brokenhearted, maybe even angry—about the way things are in light of the way they believe things could be, is a candidate for a vision. Visions form in the hearts of those who are dissatisfied with the status quo.
Vision often begins with the inability to accept things they way they are…
There is always a moral element to vision. Vision carries with it a sense of conviction. Anyone with a vision will tell you this is not merely something that could be done. This is something that should be done. This is something that must happen. It is the element that catapults men and women out of the realm of passive concern and into action. It is the moral element that gives a vision a sense of urgency.
I’m reminded of Rob Bell’s experience he wrote about it in his book, Velvet Elvis.
My wife and I and several others started this church called Mars Hill in February of 1999 with dreams of what a revolutionary new kind of community could be.
I was twenty-eight.
What do you know about anything when you’re twenty-eight?
But anyway, we did it. We started a church.
People who are starting churches, or want to someday, often ask me when I knew it was time to do it. And I actually have a coherent answer: I knew it was time when I no longer cared if it was “successful”.
I’m serious. I had this moment in October 1998 when I realized that if thirteen people joined up with us, and that was all it ever was, that would be okay.
This thing inside of me was so strong that I had to act on it. Can you relate to this feeling? That sense that there is something deep in the fiber of your being that you have to do, and if you don’t do it, you will be violating something…or somebody?
Better to try and fail, because at least you are being true to yourself.
And the worst thing would be to live wondering, What if?
In my mind, a huge tragedy happens to those who have a God-ordained vision placed on their heart and then choose to do nothing about it. They see things as they should be and choose to not participate in God’s plan. What happens? Discontent. Un-fulfillment. Disillusionment. They whine and complain and then leave the situation unhappy because nobody else will step up to the plate and make the changes that they see necessary.
I’ve seen people leave our church because they have a heart to see something happen, but they mistakenly expect the pastor to make it happen. They never take the time to think that God is asking them to do it…to make the necessary change. When it’s suggested to them that they should make the change, that they should lead a task, they make excuses and then leave the church angry.
You can be a part of the problem, or you can be a part of the solution.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about prayers we pray. There are some prayers that we pray that are beyond ourselves. We ask God for things that only He can accomplish. Such as healing for someone with cancer, or providing a new job for somebody, or seeing somebody come to Jesus. However, sometimes when we pray, our hearts become more focused on God and we can hear Him telling us what to do to help…asking us to take action. Sometimes action on our part is necessary for the request to come true. When we pray for a loved one to be healed of cancer, our hearts become bigger for that person and we do what we can to help our loved one feel more comfortable…such as spending time with them, listening to them, cleaning their home or running errands when it’s impossible for them, or providing a meal for their family.
Jesus asked the disciples to pray for workers for the harvest of people and guess what happened? The disciples became the workers. As they prayed for people, their hearts became aligned with God’s heart and they took action to spread the gospel. The prayers were instrumental in the compassion they felt for the people. I believe that when we pray for things it’s not always about what God can accomplish, but sometimes it is about what God can accomplish through us. As we draw closer to Him, our hearts should align with His heart.
What’s bothering you and what is the solution?
What are you praying for?
What is breaking your heart?
What is your passion?
What is something that must happen in order to make this world a better place?
