“The Spark that Spurs a Journey”
Dear writer,
I hope you enjoyed your week and were encouraged by Charlotte’s testimony of how she embraced her storms and grew through them! This week, we’re going to take a look at what vision is and how we can begin to grow it.
All writing starts with vision. Did you know that though an impala can jump more than ten feet in the air, it will not leap over a three foot wall at the zoo simply because he cannot see where his feet will land on the other side? In the same way, when we lose sight of the vision that originally sparked their writing journey, we can find ourselves at a standstill.
Vision begins with our why. Why are you determined to write? Most of us began writing because something inspired us or riled us to write. And if that initial spark seems to have grown cold, never fear! Today, we are going to take a look at some others who were ignited with vision to do great things.
Vision in History
One great example of vision is Theodore Roosevelt. Teddy Roosevelt was frail and sickly as a boy. His father, in contrast, was a man of vigor, generosity, and piety who freely donated his money and time to the poorhouses and was deeply committed to and active in his faith and community. When Teddy’s father encouraged him to exercise his frail body to build up his strength, Teddy—captivated by his father’s example—did just as his father asked and learned what he later called the blessing of a “strenuous lifestyle.” A lifestyle that equipped him to run for the presidency, achieve great works of conservation, and to vigorously set about many political and environmental changes that would have otherwise been impossible.
You see, here’s the thing, writer. Vision is often born of passion and maintained by our vigorous pursuit of those things that deeply stir our hearts and cause us to rise up and speak. If we try to play it safe, our vision can grow dull. After all, no one would have faulted Teddy if he not amounted to much. But instead, inspired by the vision of his father’s fruitful life, Teddy risked trying to live differently…like his father did. The impact of that vision-provoked choice is still felt across our nation today.
Vision in the Bible
Joseph was another example of a man who grabbed hold of a vision. When he was just a young man, God gave him a dream that he would rule over his bothers. Though that very same dream landed him in a slave caravan headed for Egypt, Joseph refused to give up on that heavenly vision and committed to a life of excellence and faced adversity with an expectation of God’s presence and the fulfillment of His promise. That expectation positioned Joseph to be ready when Pharaoh’s officials came to him with dreams to interpret. As they say, the rest is history.
It’s the same with you, writer. Sometimes grabbing hold of a vision means holding tight to it when everything in the world seems to be set against that dream. Because here’s the thing. The only way to lose a God-dream is to give up on it. You see, our willingness to pursue vision through difficulty is often the very thing that positions and prepares us to walk into its reality when the time is right.
Vision in Life
I was first inspired by a vision when I experienced my powerful Christian film as a teen and realized that a movie theater is the one place people enter with their guards down and without arguments and simply absorb a story that shapes the way they thin and act. That vision sparked my journey to write stories that captured the truth of God’s heart, whether overtly or covertly, and that prepared people to recognize THE truth when they saw it. Though I started my career in a startup tech company, then became the graphic designer for an Iranian evangelist, and then the communications director of a Ugandan missions organization, I held fast to my dream, working with an increasing commitment to excellence at my jobs while continuing to write every step of the way. And here’s the interesting thing.
When the Lord called me to leave the ministry to pursue film by completing my first novel, all those previous experiences had been wound into the substance of that first book. A book that not only shared God’s gripping truths but prepared the way for me to equip others to share their stories, too. If I had not been faithful in those seemingly unrelated areas of life as I worked for other bosses, my own story would have suffered.
Vision in Your Life
You see, writer, sometimes on the way to our vision, we must learn to serve another man’s vision. Few things prepare us for the leadership required to realize our dream in the same way that wholeheartedly serving another leader can. Because here’s the thing. Vision takes discipline to maintain it, and unless we develop that discipline by serving the vision of others and learning from their good and bad examples, we can scarcely expect to maintain discipline for ourselves. Here are a few examples of what I mean…
- Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law. – Proverbs 29:18
- Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. – Hebrews 13:17
- An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. – 2 Timothy 2:5
- Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. – 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
- Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. – Hebrews 12:1-2
You see, writer, sometimes gaining a strategic vision for our journey is just as much about getting rid of what impedes our vision as it is about embracing what grows it. After all, our stories are seeds, and if our soil is choked by weeds, those seeds will not grow to their full potential. But here’s the good news. Wherever there are weeds, there is the ability to uproot them. All it takes is a clear understanding of our the race we are to run and the discipline to remove what hinders—and to keep removing it!
Where to Start with Vision
So, are you ready to begin cultivating vision in your life? If you are, here are a few ways to get started…
- Ask for the vision. If you find you don’t have a clear vision from the Lord at the moment, ask Him to reveal His purpose for your life and writing. God promises to give wisdom to all who ask. All true vision comes from Him.
- Write the vision. Once we have clarity about our vision, it’s critical that we write that dream and keep it in front of us at all times. Consider writing your vision on index cards or on sticky notes on your mirror. Put a picture on your desktop or phone lock screen that reminds you of it. The best place to “keep it before you” is anywhere you look daily.
- Pray for the vision. Consistently pray over your vision and record what you hear in prayer. Find scriptures that align with God’s call for you and speak them out every day, because here’s the thing. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, and the voice we most believe is our own. As you take time to speak truth and vision over your life your faith and clarity will grow.
- Follow the vision. No matter what is going on in life, there is usually one small step we can take toward our vision. Prayerfully write a list of goals and habits that will help you reach your vision. Then choose one small step you can take forward or one small habit you can enact. Sometimes you might need to break a goal down in to smaller pieces. That’s no problem! The important thing is simply to take the step. And once you’ve taken it, to take the step beyond that. You see, writer, sometimes it is amazing how far we can go simply by continuing to take that next small step, because here’s the thing…
Vision is about discipline just as much as inspiration. It’s about learning to remember by fixing your gaze firmly on what we hope for. But more than anything, its about moving forward by engaging in persistent consistent action. Our you could say it this way: Vision grows from a quality decision to pursue that for which Christ pursued us.
As you commit to that pursuit, just like Roosevelt transformed American politics, like Joseph saved a nation, like I found an impact far beyond my own books, you will find that God will grow your gift and open unexpected doors for you, too.
So, I encourage you today, to set aside a little time this week to seek the Lord for vision. There is a world waiting for the realization of that dream—for that story you alone can share!
#vision #courage #passion #discipline #EveryWriterWriting
