Having a vision for your life

I want to reflect in this post and the next - and maybe more - on the sermons Pastor Don gave in church over the last couple of Sundays. He has been doing a powerful series that should be of interest to anyone who is looking for meaning in life. And when you have bipolar disorder and a full life is not as easy to achieve as it might be for healthy people, it's important to find a way to find something meaningful to do, isn't it?

In this post I've quoted Don loosely, using some of my own wording. Hope that's okay, Don. Don asked, "Do you have a vision for your life?"

It's important to live with vision - with a dream for the future you want for your life - having a picture of what you hope for your future...or the future of the world. What matters to you? Is there something that bothers you enough that you'd like to do something about it? What does God want you to do with your life?

For me it's been fighting the stigma attached to mental illness. Working towards this - with the help of God - has been very fulfilling.

When you have vision you will have direction and a sense of purpose for your life. It will clarify what you should be doing and not doing. Vision gives meaning to even the most mundane things in your life. Working towards your vision will mean that you need to stay healthy. You will be motivated to look after yourself - eating healthy foods and getting excercise. After all, if you're to accomplish things, you'll need to be strong and healthy, won't you? It's all part of the bigger thing. Vision will inject passion and motivation for what you do. You'll be excited about life - eager to get up in the morning. Where there's a vision good things begin to happen. Where there's vision there's passion and joy.

How does God birth a vision?

Realize that God's vision is bigger than ours. He lives with a bigger perspective than we do. Vision is birthed in those who are concerned with what concerns God. We hear from God and are led by God when our interests are in more than just ourselves. Does what breaks the heart of God break your heart too? We need to live a life that is bigger than ourselves.

Proverbs 29:18 (NASB) says: "Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained." (in other words, anything goes) You live blindly, without any real sense of purpose or meaning.

When we start following Jesus we're called to deny ourselves - to stop focussing on our own little lives. God's concerns become our concerns. We allow God to let our heart break over something. If you think you can carry out your plans on your own, it's not from God. If it's from God it's overwhelming.

What is breaking your heart today? Are you ready to let God lead you to join Him in the work He's doing?