Have you ever failed to get the results you wanted, the way you wanted, and in the time frame you wanted? Have you ever tried to speed things up only to see the whole thing fail?
If so, what did you take away from that experience?
About a dozen or so years ago, I wanted to start a program to reach a certain group of folks. I had tons of support, and I was really grateful for those folks. However, I was not reaching the folks that I really intended to reach. I was not experienced in getting a program going in the first place, and I did not know what to do.
Many well-meaning folks decided that I needed to do things completely differently. Someone else was even willing to head it up. I was excited about the new support and the new direction. That’s the end of story.
Nothing ever came of it. No more meetings were ever held. It all fell apart with the new time and new focus. The support did not follow the new direction. In summary, my program was side railed and put to death. Ultimately, I had no one to blame but myself.
It failed for a couple of reasons. Perhaps I had not prayed enough about it before I started. I definitely did not pray enough about it before I changed it. Then, I let someone else run away with the vision. I wobbled. I delegated the responsibility – something you cannot ever do with your vision.
Here are three things to take away from that experience.
1. We are all called to serve God. No one else can tell you what that looks like. Prayer must go into whatever you are doing.
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
2. Write down you vision, and be very specific when you write it down. Don’t try to be all things to all folks. If you have prayed about it, and God gave it to you, stick with it.
3. Feedback serves to help you move farther along in your vision, and to know if your message is clear. Feedback, with rare exception, should not change your vision. If you let feedback rewrite your vision, your goals will become a moving target and be impossible to reach. An exception to changing your vision would be if what you are trying to achieve no longer has purpose. Sometimes goals do become outdated. Do pray about all feedback, and especially pray before you change.
LIFE APPLICATION
Today’s challenge is to write down your vision, and pray about it. Be sure that it is a vision that God has given you. If you’ve lost site of your vision, pray and ask God to refresh it for you. Then keep that vision – your goal – in front of you. Reference it often. Remember, you serve God, and not man. Don’t wobble when others do not share your vision, and above all don’t delegate the responsibility for it. Remember, God gave it to you for a reason.