Vision and Focus

The topic of vision seems to come up a lot in my life. Not the 20/20 you need bi-focals kind of vision, you see. But the the leading people visionary kind of vision. I just always seem to be in position to have conversations about vision or be reading books about vision or even writing vision statements.

I believe this may be in part to the fact that I have always been a person of vision. I believe that this is a gift of God. But often I have been so "visionary" that I failed to see or accomplish the simple task directly in front of me. I was busy looking ahead that I forgot to look in front of me. I believe this is a trial of God. So if God gifts me with vision but sends trails when I don't temper that same vision, just what is he teaching me?

I think I found a clue this week when reading an article entitled Leadership in Small Group by Rod Dempsey. In this article he states:

The starting point for ALL leadership is vision. A leader has the ability to look ahead and chart a course of action. Without vision you cannot lead a group toward a preferred future.

Something did not sit right with me when I read this. I couldn't put my finger on it. It lined right up with almost everything that I had read recently about Christian leadership. Terms like visioneering and vision casting all seem to fit into this model.

It finally struck me as I was crawling in to bed (That is when all my good ideas seem to come) what didn't settle right. "God hates visionary dreaming." Dietrich Bonhoeffer says that in Life Together. I had always struggled with this as I have found this book to be a valuable guide in establishing true Christian community, but how could God gift me with vision and hate visionary dreaming? If you have the time, take a moment and read the excerpt from Life Together found here.

So I have come to the conclusion that I agree with this part of Mr. Dempsey's quote. "The starting point for ALL leadership is vision." But I cannot agree that a Christian leader's vision should be of a "preferred future" or a new ministry model. Scripture seems to have demonstrated over and over again that God does not work that way. Abraham had a vision of a large family and sought it with Hagar. Moses had a vision of alleviating the oppression of his people and killed for it. The Pharisees had a vision of the chosen people of God no longer under oppressive outside rule due to Messiah's work. These were good visions. These were Godly visions, promises God had clearly made. But because they included preferred futures, pictures of how they would be accomplished and methods to their ends, they all initially fell short, until God stepped in.

See God doesn't want His leaders to cast a vision of the future. God works in mysterious ways. We will almost always fail to grasp his plan or workings until they are right at our feet or even in our rear view mirror. God wants us to cast a vision of Him. God wants leaders to have a deep vision of who He is and what he is about. God desires us to paint pictures His compassion, His mercy, His justice, His righteousness, His holiness. God wants us draw the brothers and sisters not to an ideal system or ministry model. God wants us to draw the body of Christ to Him.

E.M. Bounds once wrote, "The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men." [UPDATE: Link to Power Through Prayer by E.M. Bounds]  As leaders, I believe it is imperative that we create better men and women. And this can only be done by seeing God more clearly. If we as leaders are casting so much vision regarding the future of our ministries, we might miss the opportunity to show our brothers who God is. Now that does not mean the methods should be neglected. The disciples demonstrated to us in Acts 6 how this could be accomplished. They led not by devising methods but by proclaiming God and allowed others to handle methods.

So there lies my epiphany. God has blessed me with the gift of vision. But God gave me trials in my long term vision and plans because God's character is not a future concept. It is a present reality. He is the only vision that I need to cast.  There was never problem with my vision, just my focus.