Vision

A few weeks ago I was driving to a concert in Madison, WI (a 2 hour drive from my home) with 7 high school students in a Suburban. In Wisconsin the weather can change quickly and as I left home there was a light wintery mix. The closer we came to Madison, however, the weather worsened and became a winter storm. We enjoyed the concert and then started the journey home. The 8 of us left the concert at 11:00 PM. The snow had accumulated to 6 inches, the roads were snow covered and slippery, often only one lane. As I slowly made my way home in these treacherous conditions, I was reminded of the importance of vision.

The first part of my vision was to know where I was headed- Home. But this only helps me in my long term goal. Most of my vision was focused on the road in front of me. I couldn't keep my sights on home the whole time, that was too far away. But it gave me hope, too, because if I thought I was driving in that snow storm forever, it would have changed my perspective in a negative way. I knew that if I kept moving in the right direction and focused on the challenges directly in front of me that I would make it. Only once in a while would I need to look in the rear view mirror to briefly check behind me and reflect on the progress I was making. Eventually, over 3 hours later, we made it safely home.

Life can be like this. We, first of all, need vision in where we are going. This gives us the direction we need and it gives us the goal that we need to continue. We have lots of challenges in front of us and overcoming each challenge as it comes is our immediate focus. Sometimes we want to spend too much time looking in the rear view mirror; regretting our past or over focusing on it. Reflecting on where we have been can be helpful to encourage us as to how far we've come, but we have to look out the windshield of our life far more than the rear view mirror.

The apostle Paul says it this way in the book of Philippians (3:13-14) "...but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."

The vision that we have day to day, can make a huge difference on the progress we make. Where is your vision today?

Rick Jass, MA, LPC
Professional Counselor
Charis Counseling, LLC