“Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it’ because it will surely come, it not tarry…but the just shall live by his faith.” Hab. 2:2-4
Do you have a dream, a goal, or a vision from God? God is not a tease, but in the meantime, here are eight steps to help you nurture it.
#1 Envision It
I call this the act of living in your future. Can you envision yourself living in your dream? Imagine it. Embrace it. You can only seize what you see. So stare at the sky and meditate on your dream. See yourself doing what He has called you to do. If He has given you a desire to start your own business, write out your mission statement, and design a business card. I have a shoebox filled with paper napkins from restaurants displaying Tommy’s now-aged scribbles of artwork, outlines, and projects. As wise Solomon wrote, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is her.” Prv. 23:7
#2 Have Tunnel Vision
You must maintain focus to resist distractions and detour. Tunnel vision preserved our destiny, particularly during our first two years when two other camps offered their property to us. Both were attractive, including one offering a gorgeous hacienda and magnificent views of the Texas Hill Country. We seriously considered operating three camps at once. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit exposed them as challenging counterfeits and instructed us to maintain our vision for Discovery Camp. Let’s remember Nehemiah’s wise instruction when people attempted to interrupt his building project. “I am doing a great work, so that cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?” Neh. 6:3
#3 Super-vision
To maintain your vision you need to assemble a team that surrounds and supports it. With every great vision, God also raises a supporting team. They are the ones who keep the “super” in the vision. Nehemiah brought a team with him nine hundred miles from Babylon to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. God gave them a “mind to work” twelve-hour shifts with such passionate loyalty that they slept in their work clothes. That was a vision wrapped with some “super.”
#4 Pro-vision
Your ability to communicate your vision is imperative to seeing it fulfilled. When you have a vision, you must be passionate and articulate about it. If you are pro-vision, learn to articulate it until it reflects your heart and connects it to others. Leadership expert John Maxwell says, “A great leaders’ courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.”
#5 Precision
Executing a vision requires a commitment to excellence. An emphasis on the “the anointing” should not be a ready excuse for sloppiness or lack of organization. People would be surprised to see how much organization goes on behind the scenes of our Spirit-led ministry. One July morning we walked into our ice cream store, The Chill, to find one hundred fifty gallons of melted ice cream: the result of a well-meaning staffer unplugging the freezer to wax the floor. Another young man in the kitchen accidentally put salt instead of sugar into the peach cobbler. Vision needs precision.
#6 Decision
Accomplishing your dream requires strong, kind, and often quick decisions. Will it advance the vision? Will the rippling effects be short-term or long-term? Is this the best time to face the repercussions or would postponing it minimize the effects? Leaders must do what’s right, when it’s right, just because it’s right.
#7 Re-Vision
Making adjustments will strengthen the vision. Re-work it, Re-create it. Revise it until it is prospering in all areas. I admit that some of my ideas for Discovery Camp in the early days were disastrous. We had to revise my “Kum-ba-Yah” bunk bed devotions for late-night waterslide parties. That was quite a revision!
#8 Double Vision
As you nurture your dream, vision, ministry, or business, don’t neglect your family. Let your private life remain balanced by nurturing healthy relationships and creating happy homes. Visionaries tend to be so zealous for success, they burn the candle at both ends to see it fulfilled. All they have accomplished is to burn out twice as fast. Let’s enjoy the journey, follow these eight steps, and fulfill God’s vision for our lives.
