The Second Half of 'the Vision Thing'
Dave Faust
Pick up any book about leadership these days, and you will read about the importance of vision. In The Power of Vision (Regal, 1992) George Barna says vision is "foresight with insight based on hindsight." It's "seeing the invisible and making it visible." It's "an informed bridge from the present to the future." Bill Hybels crisply defines vision as "a picture of the future that produces passion" (Courageous Leadership, Zondervan, 2002).
An Important Verse—Part Two
Most writers and speakers who talk about vision like to quote Proverbs 29:18. This is one verse most everyone still prefers to quote from the good old King James Version, which says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish."
No matter which translation we use, however, I wish we'd include the whole verse if we use Proverbs 29:18 to promote "the vision thing."
The verse does say, "Where there is no vision, the people perish"—but that's only the first half of the verse. Have you ever heard anyone quote the rest of it? In the King James the next line says, "but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." In the New International Version the entire verse reads, "Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law." The Message paraphrases the verse, "If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; but when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed."
That's the part I wish received more emphasis: "attending to what God reveals." A vision that honors God must be more than a catchy new idea. A healthy vision for ministry must lead us to obey the revealed will of God. A big fund-raising goal or building project means nothing unless our ultimate purpose is to proclaim the whole will of God and make disciples for Jesus Christ.
Inadequate Visions
In biblical times charismatic leaders made big claims and drew large followings. They boldly proclaimed, "I had a dream," but God had not spoken to them. They were simply prophesying the delusions of their own minds (Jeremiah 23:25, 26). They had a lot of vision, but their ideas were not inspired by God.
Don't misunderstand. I realize the importance of "the vision thing." Without a compelling vision of a preferred future, it's hard to be a leader and even harder to be a follower. If we don't know where we're headed, no one will go with us and we'll never know when we have arrived. Those with clear eyes who see the invisible and make it visible will be God's instruments to shape the 21st century.
But if we read Proverbs 29:18—the whole verse—we can't escape another important conclusion: Our vision for the future must align with the truth God has already revealed in the past.
This column first appeared in The Lookout on May 23, 2004.
The Scene of the Crime
Several years ago, my wife and children returned home to discover that a burglar had entered our house. The back door was broken open, and dresser drawers lay emptied on the floor of our bedroom.
The Secret Elders Meeting
My great-uncle died in 2000 at the age of 95. Uncle Floyd was a colorful character and a master storyteller. A retired preacher, in his later years he ministered to nursing home residents by playing the accordion and singing for them. Uncle Floyd entertained the family with funny, pointed tales at holiday gatherings, and he wrote down some of his best stories and gave me a copy of them before he died.