How far you can see determines how much you can achieve. And what you can become. Your vision is important if you plan to be successful in life. But the issue of vision is usually the last thing attention is given to when success is being considered. Yet it should be the first. What you see is what you become!
The eagle is a bird known for its ability to see an object from a very far distance. An eagle can clearly see a rabbit from 300m above the ground and 1km away from it. Its eyesight is very sharp, four to five times stronger than that of human. Eagles have binocular and monocular vision. They can focus on two areas in each eye at the same time. They can see forward and sideward - and slightly backward. This is spectacular!
One of the factors that give the eagle its uniqueness as a predator and a glamorous bird is its vision. No prey escapes the eagle and nothing catches it unaware. It always has all things in view. Nothing escapes its notice. It is successful in hunting because it sees ahead, clearly.
As vision is important to the success of the hunting expedition of an eagle so it is important to the success of man in life. A speaker once said, ‘success starts with a vision. The race of life is a race to fulfill vision’. What you pursue depends on what you see.
What do you see when you look at a cob of corn? Do you see food or a farm? What you see will determine what you will do with the cob. If you see food, the corn will definitely land on your plate, get chewed in your mouth and digested by your stomach to give you energy for the day. And the undigested, evacuated into your septic system or if you are in Africa, into a bush somewhere, mixes up with the soil to serve as manure for a visionary farmer.
The man that see a farm, will plant the corn as seed on a fertile ground, tend it and in three months get enough corn to eat, sell and plant again. He will probably become the employer of the man that saw the corn as food in one or two years!
Vision is everything for a leader. It is utterly indispensible.Why? Because vision leads the leader.
That’s a statement made by John Maxwell in his book ‘Leadership 101’ which I found to be very true. A successful man is a leader. A leader is a visionary man.
What do you see when you look at yourself?
What do you see when you look at your future?
What do you see when you look at your environment?
What you see determines your success and your fulfillment in life. You need to have a vision for your life. Make it an urgent matter to get a vision for your life. A vision that will inspire you. A vision that will turn your juice on. A blind man does not know where he is going except he is led. He becomes dependent on the one who leads him. Without your own vision you are dependent on others’ vision to live. You will always be in others’ shadow. Is that how you want to live your life?
Get a vision for your life, now!
CASTING A VISION
While
standing guard on the watchtower, I
waited for the LORD’S answer, before explaining the reason for my
complaint. Then the LORD told me: “I
will give you my message in the form of a vision. Write it clearly enough to be
read at a glance. At the time I have decided, my words will come true. You can
trust what I say about the future. It may take a long time, but keep on waiting
– it will happen!” – HABAKKUK 2:1-3 (CEV)
1. You have
to stand guard on the watchtower, asking God for a vision for your life. He knows your tomorrow; He has a plan for you. ‘I will bless you
with a future filled with hope – a future of success, not of suffering.’ –
Jeremiah 29:11 (CEV)
2. You
must wait for the LORD’S answer. You must listen for his voice; you must hear
what He will say to you. ‘Let
me hear what God the LORD will speak, for He will speak peace to His people, to
His faithful, to those who turn to Him in their hearts.’ – Psalm 85:8
(NRSV)
3. You
must write the vision clearly. What you hear God say you must write clearly,
first on your heart and then in indelible ink. You must not forget it. It will guide
you; it will inspire you; it will strengthen you. As you read it periodically,
it will help you put things in their proper perspective. ‘Then the LORD said to
Moses, “Write this as a reminder in a book and recite it in the hearing of Joshua: I will
utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” – Exodus 17:14
(NRSV)
4. You must
know that the vision is for an appointed time. So, you must believe it and run
with it. You must be determined and persistence. Whatever might be the situation, you
must endure till you see the vision become a reality. ‘and you will be hated by
all because of my name. But
the one who endures to the end will be saved.’ – Mark 13:13 (NRSV)
