Unfulfilled Vision

Psalm 42:1 says, “As a deer pants for water, so does my soul pant for the book I wrote to be published.” Wait, that’s not right. I think it’s more like, “so my soul pants for my company to be successful.” No, that’s not right, either. Oh, yeah. “As a deer pants for water, so my soul pants for You, oh God.”

I was recently reminded that it’s all about Jesus and not about my vision to serve Him. It’s never about our vision, but it’s always about His love. I know this is not some new revelation, but it became very clear to me over the last couple of days. I must be willing and able to praise God with joy in my heart, even if I give everything I have and still don’t see my vision come to pass. If I can’t do that, then it’s better to lay down my vision and walk away than to give everything I have and walk around disgruntled, angry, bitter, grumbling, and complaining because things didn’t work out the way I thought they were supposed to.

I’m not saying to walk away from God, just my expectations of what I think God is supposed to do through my vision. 1 Timothy 1:5 reminds us that the cause of any vision should always be the love of Christ. If my unfulfilled vision leads me to a place where people see anger, frustration, and bitterness in me, then I have the wrong vision, or worse, the wrong cause. My cause needs to be so strong that it must still be achieved, even when the vision fails.

Here’s where brutal honesty comes in. I need to be able to answer this question before I take one more step. Can I give all I have and still praise Him if it doesn’t work out like I thought it would? If I can truly answer “yes” to that question, then what am I waiting for? It’s time to get up and get going. If I’m not so sure then I need to be very careful about how I proceed. Although some good may come from the vision I pursue, I may do more damage in my frustration. Who wants to follow a Savior whose people are angry, bitter, or depressed?

Really think about this. Don’t take the easy way out and say what you think you’re supposed to say. Can you give everything you have to the cause of Christ and still praise Him if your vision does not come to pass? If yes, go and do it. If not, find a new vision, but let the love of Christ remain your cause. His love never fails, though our visions might.