Tag: Vision

See Beyond The Situation

Where do you see yourself in five years? Raise your hand if you’ve heard this in an interview before? Okay, put your hand down. Do you know why employers ask this question? It’s all about vision. When you close your eyes what do you see? Can you see your family, your job, yourself? 

While everyone is dealing with the quarantine and how to handle the day to day, have you started to think about what will come next?

Have you read the story of Joseph in the Bible? Start in Genesis 37 and just start reading. You’ll see that he had to deal with his brothers selling him into slavery, then having some success while in that situation and then being put in jail. Have you ever noticed what happened before all of that? Joseph had a set of dreams. God gave him a vision. I truly believe that this played a key in him being able to get through all of the adversity that he faced. He always was able to see the destination in the end. 

Having a vision will allow you to see past what currently is Click To Tweet

That’s the importance of vision. It allows you to see past what you are currently dealing with. So can you see past the corona-virus? What will your life look like past this? How will you kids look? What about your marriage?

Here are three reasons why you need a vision:

 

  • Vision will Keep You Encouraged

 

Let’s face it, we are going to deal with hard situations. Dealing with everything going on right now can be hard. Life in general can be hard or have difficult situations. 

You have to be able to see past the hardships. That’s what a vision will do for you. When you’re going through a hardship or a difficult situation, sometimes that’s all we can see. All we can see is the problem that we’re facing. Vision allows you to see past the hardship. 

Being able to see past the hardship will keep you encouraged. It will give you a place to hope and put your faith. Encouragement is something we all need. There’s just something about being able to imagine how different things can be on the other side of the hardship. 

 

  • Vision Gives You a Destination

 

Have you ever been driving, forgot to turn on your GPS or didn’t because you knew that you knew where you were going. You drive for a couple of minutes and then you realize that you don’t know where you’re going. But you could have sworn that you knew where you were going. Why? Because in your head you could see yourself driving the route and pulling into the destination. Eventually you will make it. 

That’s what vision will do for you. Even if you aren’t sure of how to get through a problem being able to see the destination will help you to know if you are at least going in the right direction. Being able to see the destination also lets you know when something is wrong. It lets you know what you don’t want or don’t want to go. 

 

  • Vision Brings Everyone Together

 

One of the hardest things to do is to get through a hard time by yourself. That’s how we usually approach the hard situations in our life. We think that we need to buckle down and get out of this situation by yourself. 

We all need people around us. You need a team, you need those that will encourage you, believe in you, and hold you accountable. This is where your vision will come into play. Vision is the vehicle for you and your team. It’s what will keep you connected during the hard times and it’s what you will celebrate during the victories. 

Vision is important for you and for those around you. Speak vision all the time. Especially during the difficult of hard times, you have to intentionally speak vision. 

 

Discussion Question: 

What vision do you have during this time?

How 3 insights will change the way you look at your small dreams

Dream small

Don’t bother like you’ve gotta do it all

Just let Jesus use you where you are

One day at a time

Live well

Loving God and others as yourself

Find little ways where only you can help

With His great love

A tiny rock can make a giant fall

Dream small

All Dreams Matter

I like to talk a lot about getting back to the place where we dream again. We should all dream a little more and then take it a step further and chase those dreams. We want to dream of the future and what could be. Our dreams tend to consistent of vacations that we want to take, cars we want to drive and homes that we want to own.

I recently attended a benefit dinner where Josh Wilson was the musical guest. Those are his lyrics at the beginning of this post. It was a pleasure and he performed one of his songs called Dream Small. It was this song that had my mind thinking about the small dreams in our lives that we can let drift away.

I listed the big dreams that we tend to have and if you polled most people what you find is that the big dreams tend to fall into the same categories.

Your small dreams are what separates you. It is in those small dreams that you find your uniqueness.small dreams that you find your uniqueness. You will find yourself in the small dreams. What does a small dream look like?

1. Small Dreams are from the heart.

We can find ourselves in a space and time where we know the big things that are out in front of us. However our aspirations can seem so far away. They start in our hearts but because they are so far away we can lose sight of them. Small dreams are the issues from your heart that you hold on to.

2. Small Dreams aren’t always tied to money.

The dreams that are in your heart aren’t always tied to money. Our small dreams can be things like losing weight, or eating healthier. What’s in your heart to do? To be a better person, do you want to read more? How about learning a new skill or hobby. It’s what’s in your heart to do.

3. Small Dreams don’t need to be classified as Small Dreams.

We should stop classifying our dreams as small or big. That inherent classifying makes us value the big dreams over the small dreams. We have to just think of them as dreams. What are our dreams? We want to focus on our dreams being from our heart.

Discussion Question:

What are your dreams?

Teaching Your Children to Dream

Can you remember any of the dreams that you used to have when you were a child? If I really try to rack my brain and think about it, it is very hard for me to remember anything that I used to dream about. Probably like most boys they were dreams related to sports. They didn’t go far though because I was never the best athlete or anything. 

“Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”—Harriet Tubman Click To Tweet

Dream in the Future

I don’t know many children that dream of being doctors or lawyers, but I’m sure that they are out there. With my children, I want to do everything I can to encourage them to dream. I want to make sure that I’m teaching my children to dream. And to always dream. 

Here is how I’m teaching my children to dream and I hope that you can/will/are doing the same for yours. 

 

  1. Vision Boards

We have a family vision board. If you’re not sure what a vision board is, it is gathering images to represent your dreams. For example, if there is a dream car that you have always wanted, you would get an image of that car and put it in a place where you can see it every day. There is something powerful that happens when your mind can see what you want. Vision boards can help you dream and can teach your children to dream. 

  1. Experiences over Gifts

As parents, it can be easy to rely on getting our children gifts for birthdays, holidays and such. Part of teaching your children to dream should be the experiences that they have. Being able to have new experiences and try new things is all a part of developing their imagination. 

Gifts can be great and we shouldn’t deprive our children of them, however, we shouldn’t deprive them of experiences that will help them to grow, develop, think and dream bigger. 

  1. Share Your Dreams 

Be the example that you want your children and family to follow after. Have a vision board for yourself and have times where you share with them your dreams. 

People say that experience is the best teacher, but when it comes to teaching your children, your example is the best teacher. Your children having the opportunity to see your dream, go after those dreams and achieving those dreams will teach them more than anything that they will learn in a classroom. 

Discussion Question:

What are your dreams? Have you shared them with your family?