Vision

I. Where this is no vision the people perish.
Proverbs 29: 18 (KJV)

II. If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.
Proverbs 29: 18 (The Message – a paraphrase by Eugene Peterson)

III. There are reports of everyday of at least one suicide bomber who kills innocent bystanders by getting as close to them as possible and setting off explosives strapped to the human body. It makes no sense to us. Could it be that it is difficult for us see and understand life where there is no hope?

IV. Reports from the territory of Gaza suggest that the fighting between Hamas and FATA has made daily normal living impossible. It may be, as some suggest, that in the battle to control the territory, each faction will in fact destroy the emerging nation, before it is even possible for it to exist. What destructive power hopelessness has.

V. A Danish company is marketing a $3 water filter called LifeStraw. "The nine-inch-long straw filters up to 185 gal. of water - about a year's worth of use. . . “(according to Newsweek, June 18, 2007, page 20). Think of the potential life-saving possibilities in those parts of the world where all water is polluted and filled with parasites. Of course, the long-term solution of digging clean wells is important. Yet, being able to drink purified water now, simply by sucking it from a polluted source, can mean the difference between life and death for children and their parents.

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The future of our planet may depend upon implementing the principle of Proverbs 29: 18 that suggests the importance of having a vision and a purpose in life. It is absolutely true that where there is no vision, the people perish.

Where people see no hope, they are willing not only to destroy themselves, but also those around them.

Yet only a little glimmer of hope can change the world. My first reaction to the story of the Life-Straw was "how many straws can I purchase for the children of sub-Saharan Africa? And where do I send the money?" What about you? Isn't there yearning within each of us to save the lives of children?

That hope comes from of vision of the possibilities created by a $3 filter. That filter is good news for lots of people.

Isn't our task as followers of Jesus bringing hope to people? Sometimes it's a cup of cold water. Sometimes, it's a filter that provides 185 gal. of water. Sometimes it should be helping of person see the possibility of abundant life rather than self-destruction.

What can be more important in sharing the good news than discovering our vision?

Feeling Overwhelmed?

Years ago, Dr. Dwight Stevenson, Dean at Lexington Theological Seminary, suggested to the seminary students a very simple solution to the problem of burnout. His solution was paradoxical and counter –intuitive. Nevertheless, it works.

“When you feel overwhelmed and it seems like you will never be able to get out from under the stress,” he said, “begin a brand new activity. make it something that you are interested in and have a passion but for doing and can do for the joy of the activity. Adding it to your schedule, will give you the energy and motivation you need to accomplish the important things that are making you feel overwhelmed.”

Dr. Stevenson’s system really works. What a person adds to their schedule, to make it work will be different for every single one of us. For some it will be making sure that we get a round of golf or a time for fishing built indoor schedule every week. For others it may be computer game time. For still others it may mean reading a book that we have had on our list for a long time.

If you can find an activity for which you have a real passion, it will give you tremendous energy to move beyond a period of stress, get control of your life, and accomplish more than would otherwise be possible.