Vision Requires Action
It has been a joy the past few weeks to get to share the vision God has placed on our church. I am honestly in awe and overwhelmed by God's grace to pour out something so lofty upon us.
Lately it's been evident God is pouring out new ideas, fresh burden, and open doors to step into this vision. I've heard stories of people connecting with one another outside of church, spurring one another on and encouraging one another. I've heard stories of how a simple "God bless you" led to amazing conversations about Jesus with a waitress and family members. I've talked to men who want to lead their families well, but simply needed direction of how. I've spoken with those who needed the confirmation of boldness that comes from following Jesus in HIS authority, not trying to create our own authority.
It is a beautiful thing when the people of God are taken hold of by the word of God to live out the mission of God.
It seems new vision often creates within us new aspirations. We may feel a rumbling of grand ambitions, high hopes, and big dreams, with no idea how or where to start. Have you ever felt that way, all the excitement in the world, yet no clue where to spend the energy?
I often am reminded of the parable of the talents, (Luke 19:11-27), and the three men given enormous sums of money to steward, with seemingly little to no direction. Two of them were inspired and did whatever they could with what they had. However, the last one had no clue where to start; he didn't want to waste it, didn't want to mess it up, so he buried it.
I've been there before. Overwhelmed. Afraid. Anxious. Frustrated. Desiring to do good, desiring to do the right thing, desiring to be faithful but having absolutely no clue where to start, or what to do. So I bury it. I move on to something more tangible. I move on to something more common, something that feels like a win, something that feels controllable, or something that simply distracts me from the plan, excitement, and vision which I have no clue how to bring to reality.
Vision is like that, it tends to give us A & Z--Here is the bag of gold, steward it until I get back--but how? What is B through Y? God has given me vision before, which I'm sad to admit I've sat on because of excuses, challenges, and no clue what B through Y would, should, or could look like. So I've buried it, and gone about another day.
Then there are the other moments, the moments when God gives vision and I don't stress over the first step, I just take a step. Rather than trying to solve the whole lot, I just solve the first one.
I want to encourage you today. Do you feel stuck? Do you feel unsure about the way forward? Do you feel like the future is so uncertain, the vision so idealistic, the gifts too big, the dream so far up in the clouds, the hopes too high, the immediate challenges so big, and the results far too slow?
If so, here is the biggest thing that has helped me move forward, no matter how daunting the task may be.
Lately it's been evident God is pouring out new ideas, fresh burden, and open doors to step into this vision. I've heard stories of people connecting with one another outside of church, spurring one another on and encouraging one another. I've heard stories of how a simple "God bless you" led to amazing conversations about Jesus with a waitress and family members. I've talked to men who want to lead their families well, but simply needed direction of how. I've spoken with those who needed the confirmation of boldness that comes from following Jesus in HIS authority, not trying to create our own authority.
It is a beautiful thing when the people of God are taken hold of by the word of God to live out the mission of God.
It seems new vision often creates within us new aspirations. We may feel a rumbling of grand ambitions, high hopes, and big dreams, with no idea how or where to start. Have you ever felt that way, all the excitement in the world, yet no clue where to spend the energy?
I often am reminded of the parable of the talents, (Luke 19:11-27), and the three men given enormous sums of money to steward, with seemingly little to no direction. Two of them were inspired and did whatever they could with what they had. However, the last one had no clue where to start; he didn't want to waste it, didn't want to mess it up, so he buried it.
I've been there before. Overwhelmed. Afraid. Anxious. Frustrated. Desiring to do good, desiring to do the right thing, desiring to be faithful but having absolutely no clue where to start, or what to do. So I bury it. I move on to something more tangible. I move on to something more common, something that feels like a win, something that feels controllable, or something that simply distracts me from the plan, excitement, and vision which I have no clue how to bring to reality.
Vision is like that, it tends to give us A & Z--Here is the bag of gold, steward it until I get back--but how? What is B through Y? God has given me vision before, which I'm sad to admit I've sat on because of excuses, challenges, and no clue what B through Y would, should, or could look like. So I've buried it, and gone about another day.
Then there are the other moments, the moments when God gives vision and I don't stress over the first step, I just take a step. Rather than trying to solve the whole lot, I just solve the first one.
I want to encourage you today. Do you feel stuck? Do you feel unsure about the way forward? Do you feel like the future is so uncertain, the vision so idealistic, the gifts too big, the dream so far up in the clouds, the hopes too high, the immediate challenges so big, and the results far too slow?
If so, here is the biggest thing that has helped me move forward, no matter how daunting the task may be.
---- Start Measuring ---
Many times when I've been this overwhelmed, it's been a home improvement project. When Katie and I first got married, I couldn't hang a picture on the wall. I was looking at a blank wall with a photo in my hand. I had the photo, I had Katie's direction on where she wanted it, but I had no clue how to make that happen. I knew I needed it to stay, I knew it needed to be straight, I knew I might need tools, but that was about it.
I decided maybe we shouldn't worry about it; we're renting after all, and no one wants to repair holes in the wall. Luckily, my wife said we can figure out how to repair holes later, but right now, she wants the photo on the wall.
So I did what most people did before they could just scour YouTube for anything. I called my dad for help. His first tip: start measuring. I was concerned about what nails to use, what type of wall anchors to use, how I was going to fill the holes I would make when we moved, and where I would find the paint to fix it. Would I be charged for it if I messed up the repair? My dad knew all of those things were problems we could solve later. First thing, start measuring.
Too many of us don't start because we're overwhelmed by the future that might never come, the problems too far out in the distance, or the details we can figure out after the work has started.
Many of us need to stop worrying and start measuring. Why? Because it's a small thing that determines everything. How far apart were the hooks for the picture? How far down from the ceiling should each anchor be for the photo to be level? How high do the anchors need to be for the picture to be the right distance off of the floor? All of these questions had to be answered before any of my worries could be resolved. Not only that, but if I tried to solve these other issues first, they still wouldn't matter without good measurements. In fact, I would probably end up with too many holes to fill, three from each nail, then one big hole from my fist in frustration, and since I didn't know how to repair that big of a hole, Katie and I would have to leave our house and flee the country before they came after us for our unpaid rent and the repair cost. Luckily, I measured first.
Why should you measure first? Because it is a small thing that God loves.
"Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand." Zechariah 4:10
God rejoices to see the plumb line, the starting block, in the hand of someone who is ready to begin the work. Get started. Start small. Do something. Don't sit on your hands. Don't compare it with someone else's work. Don't get discouraged because of problems that you don't need to stress about yet or which may never be. Just do something, anything really.
Many of us want absolute clarity and certainty about the next step so badly that we never take any step. We sit and wait for direction. We wait for the clear sure resounding sign from God before we ever do anything. We take all that God has given us and bury it because what if we mess up?
Can I just level with you? God is not thrown off by your missteps. You're not that big of a deal. The same God who causes ALL things to work together for good, can handle you going right when you should have gone left, or left when you should have gone right.
He promises, "Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.” Isaiah 30:21
God isn't concerned with you getting everything right along the way. He knows he can redirect, cause to work, and even bring good out of evil. His concern is for you to start walking, and then trust Him when He tells you to change direction.
If you will start, even if it is just measuring, there is no telling where things will take you. Want to run a marathon? Start by buying good running shoes and wearing them daily. Then get a good running outfit. Then pick a time to run. Then start each day running for 2 minutes. Don't assume flying to Disney World to run the Disney Marathon will inspire you to finish it, because it's the most magical place on earth and maybe you will eat a Mickey Pretzel once you finish. Simply start by measuring your feet to find the right shoes.
After the call with my dad I measured the holes. I'm pretty sure I still made too many holes, but luckily they were small. I just went back to my measurements and trusted them. But once I had tackled that small thing, it gave me both a hunger and a confidence to tackle big things.
Now, I laugh at the kid who couldn't hang the picture. I wish I could go back to him, stressed out in the moment and show him photos of the homes he would renovate. How he wouldn't just know how to hang a photo, but how to run plumbing and electrical, frame a home, demo and rebuild a whole kitchen, or even patch holes (small holes that is I still haven't really learned dry wall). I wish I could show him the ridiculous amount of tools he purchased as this fear became a hobby. I wish I could show him what a couple small measurements would lead to. But honestly, I think younger me had a picture of A & Z. Really what I would be showing him, would be B through Y, well more like B through L, because there are still new measurements to take and things to learn along the way.
Start measuring. Start trusting. Trust God's grace to be bigger than your oops. Trust God's ability to bring about a vision through you. After all, God trusted the vision to you, maybe He sees in you, what you've never seen yourself.
So today, stop stressing. Dig up what you buried. Don't wait for some one, or one day. Start today. Start measuring. Do the small thing, because chances are that small thing will be the one thing that changes everything.
I decided maybe we shouldn't worry about it; we're renting after all, and no one wants to repair holes in the wall. Luckily, my wife said we can figure out how to repair holes later, but right now, she wants the photo on the wall.
So I did what most people did before they could just scour YouTube for anything. I called my dad for help. His first tip: start measuring. I was concerned about what nails to use, what type of wall anchors to use, how I was going to fill the holes I would make when we moved, and where I would find the paint to fix it. Would I be charged for it if I messed up the repair? My dad knew all of those things were problems we could solve later. First thing, start measuring.
Too many of us don't start because we're overwhelmed by the future that might never come, the problems too far out in the distance, or the details we can figure out after the work has started.
Many of us need to stop worrying and start measuring. Why? Because it's a small thing that determines everything. How far apart were the hooks for the picture? How far down from the ceiling should each anchor be for the photo to be level? How high do the anchors need to be for the picture to be the right distance off of the floor? All of these questions had to be answered before any of my worries could be resolved. Not only that, but if I tried to solve these other issues first, they still wouldn't matter without good measurements. In fact, I would probably end up with too many holes to fill, three from each nail, then one big hole from my fist in frustration, and since I didn't know how to repair that big of a hole, Katie and I would have to leave our house and flee the country before they came after us for our unpaid rent and the repair cost. Luckily, I measured first.
Why should you measure first? Because it is a small thing that God loves.
"Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand." Zechariah 4:10
God rejoices to see the plumb line, the starting block, in the hand of someone who is ready to begin the work. Get started. Start small. Do something. Don't sit on your hands. Don't compare it with someone else's work. Don't get discouraged because of problems that you don't need to stress about yet or which may never be. Just do something, anything really.
Many of us want absolute clarity and certainty about the next step so badly that we never take any step. We sit and wait for direction. We wait for the clear sure resounding sign from God before we ever do anything. We take all that God has given us and bury it because what if we mess up?
Can I just level with you? God is not thrown off by your missteps. You're not that big of a deal. The same God who causes ALL things to work together for good, can handle you going right when you should have gone left, or left when you should have gone right.
He promises, "Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.” Isaiah 30:21
God isn't concerned with you getting everything right along the way. He knows he can redirect, cause to work, and even bring good out of evil. His concern is for you to start walking, and then trust Him when He tells you to change direction.
If you will start, even if it is just measuring, there is no telling where things will take you. Want to run a marathon? Start by buying good running shoes and wearing them daily. Then get a good running outfit. Then pick a time to run. Then start each day running for 2 minutes. Don't assume flying to Disney World to run the Disney Marathon will inspire you to finish it, because it's the most magical place on earth and maybe you will eat a Mickey Pretzel once you finish. Simply start by measuring your feet to find the right shoes.
After the call with my dad I measured the holes. I'm pretty sure I still made too many holes, but luckily they were small. I just went back to my measurements and trusted them. But once I had tackled that small thing, it gave me both a hunger and a confidence to tackle big things.
Now, I laugh at the kid who couldn't hang the picture. I wish I could go back to him, stressed out in the moment and show him photos of the homes he would renovate. How he wouldn't just know how to hang a photo, but how to run plumbing and electrical, frame a home, demo and rebuild a whole kitchen, or even patch holes (small holes that is I still haven't really learned dry wall). I wish I could show him the ridiculous amount of tools he purchased as this fear became a hobby. I wish I could show him what a couple small measurements would lead to. But honestly, I think younger me had a picture of A & Z. Really what I would be showing him, would be B through Y, well more like B through L, because there are still new measurements to take and things to learn along the way.
Start measuring. Start trusting. Trust God's grace to be bigger than your oops. Trust God's ability to bring about a vision through you. After all, God trusted the vision to you, maybe He sees in you, what you've never seen yourself.
So today, stop stressing. Dig up what you buried. Don't wait for some one, or one day. Start today. Start measuring. Do the small thing, because chances are that small thing will be the one thing that changes everything.
NEED A SMALL THING?
Here are a couple action steps you can take:
Take A Next Step In Your Faith
If you're new to faith, we've built a webpage just for you. Whether you're wanting to dive in with a 6 part video series, simply just want a good book to read, need to learn how to pray or how to do a devotional. This page is for you. CLICK HERE!
Join A Discipleship Group
Most people don't make disciples and are never discipled, because they don't know where to begin. Join a discipleship group, and become a disciple who makes disciples, who makes disciples. CLICK HERE.
Start Serving
My faith became real when I started activating it by serving in the local church. A simple "yes" to greeting, led to finding my calling. Ready to say "yes" to serving? CLICK HERE
Give
This is the only area in all of scripture where God actually invites us to test him. God is faithful, he desires to bless his children and for his children to trust him. Take a small step and trust him today. CLICK HERE.
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After 28 years of marriage, my wife has plenty of stories to tell about my carpenter skills (or lack thereof). But, it is not due to lack of effort. For example, I finally learned that the size of the screw into the drywall does not make any difference :-)
28 years of marriage is a beautiful thing. It shows the strong patience of our wives who get front row seats to all of our, umm, "learning experiences."