Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida is an amazing place! Even if you’ve been discouraged by Disney’s corporate choices over the past decade, there’s little denying that its 43 square miles of amusements and rides are a sight to behold. But did you know that its founder Walt Disney never lived to see the opening of Disney World? He died in 1966, five years before the park opened to the public.
During Disney World’s opening ceremonies, someone is reputed to have said to Walt’s wife, “It’s a shame Walt is not here to see this.” To which she responded, “He did see it, or it wouldn’t have been here.” Lillian Disney recognized that it was her husband’s vision of what could be that led to that day.
Vision can be defined as “the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination and wisdom.” It is the ability to “see” what cannot yet be seen.
Though Walt Disney had a vision for the Magic Kingdom, God has called followers of Jesus to have a vision for their lives that is set on the spread of his kingdom through the gospel.
What do you believe is God’s vision for your life? Have you ever wondered how God may be desiring to use your life for his kingdom purposes in the world? The great news is that God does have plans for you. In fact, Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Our Father in heaven is shaping us and molding us more and more into the image of Christ so that we can display his glory to the world. And, not only that, but he actually has for us a specific calling related to a unique expression of “good works” that he has designed. But how do we figure out what that is?
Let me share with you 5 steps to discovering God’s vision for your life.
- Seek the Lord
I realize this may seem completely obvious, but sometimes we can start down the many roads of self-discovery before we first turn to our Creator and Lord. We start taking personality profiles, creating life maps, or simply start dreaming about what could be before we humbly ask the Lord for his help in this journey. So, may we start here by seeking the Lord’s face and aid.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” If we want to be led on the right path in our pursuit of God’s vision for our life, we must first acknowledge the Lord.
The spring semester of my junior year at The University of Texas, I had complete confidence that I was headed to law school after graduation. I had taken the LSAT and was about to begin applying to schools I thought would be a good fit. But then something happened. I decided to take some time and really seek God’s will for my future. After a while, the Lord made abundantly clear that his vision for my life was different from the one that I had. I’m so thankful I took the time to seek the Lord and not assume I knew what was best for me.
- Consider Your Life Story
In 1983 Bob Ross began his instructional painting program on PBS called The Joy of Painting. Ross had the unique ability to make not just painting interesting but watching someone paint interesting. Before Ross ever began a new piece at the beginning of a show, he had a vision for what the finished project would look like. In fact, the more one watched The Joy of Painting the more easily one could see the direction that Ross was taking the painting whether it be a mountain scene or a seascape.
In a similar way the Great Artist is day-by-day applying additional brushstrokes to the canvas of our lives. Though we cannot know all the details of what the finished project will look like when it is complete, we can look at the brushstrokes that have already been applied to see how the Lord may be leading us in the days ahead.
One tool that can help us in this part of the journey is a life map. A life map is a timeline that includes key moments from your past. A life map can be a list, or it can be illustrated. It shows us where God has led us thus far in our lives and how he has gotten us to the point. Here is one example that Watermark Community Church provides: Life Map Guide
On my life map I would include “major” things like my birth, my parent’s divorce when I was 5, placing faith in Christ at 10, my graduation from high school, my calling into ministry in college, my marriage and the births of our kids. But I would also include significant “minor” things that have affected my life like my experience with anxiety, my first international mission trip, and my present ministry role.
Acts 17:26-27 reminds us that the Lord has been intentional with the path that he has paved for us thus far and that will be true in the days ahead as well: “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us.”
- List Your Skills and Abilities
In 1 Samuel 16 the writer tells us that the first king of Israel, Saul, was being tormented by an evil spirit. Saul’s attendants believed that some soothing music might help calm his anxious heart and so they went looking for someone who was capable. In verse 18 of the same chapter the writer tells us that one of Saul’s servants identified the perfect candidate, “One of the young men answered, ‘Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him.’” This young man was exactly what Saul needed.
Though we don’t all have the catalogue of skills that David possessed, it is still the case that the Lord has given us specific abilities for the calling that he has uniquely prepared for us. This is not to say that the Lord doesn’t work beyond our abilities, it is simply to acknowledge that he used Moses’ time as a shepherd of sheep in the wilderness to prepare him to be a shepherd of people in the same region. And, that he used Paul’s time as a Pharisee to prepare him to be the greatest apologist and theologian the faith has known. And, that he used James and John’s experience as fishermen to prepare them in their pursuit of people with the gospel.
So, take some time to write down how God has blessed you with abilities. You should include spiritual gifts (like the lists provided in Romans 12 or 1 Corinthians 12) and natural talents. I would also encourage you to mark down your personality type. Be as honest as you can erring neither on the side of over-evaluation or negative self-perception.
- Describe Your Passions and Interests
I have often found that this step is the one that people most struggle with. Many are unsure what thing most lights a fire under them or causes their heart to melt or would lead them to give their life away for its sake.
To help those who are unsure of their passions and interests, here are a few questions:
- How do you want people to remember you?
- Is there anything that moves you emotionally?
- If you had $100,000 and could donate it to any organization, where would you send it?
- What do you believe are the biggest challenges facing our community and world?
- What do you think others would say you are most passionate about?
Because the Lord has so many different ways he uses people to accomplish his plans in the world our passions and interests often help shape the unique niche in which God will most utilize our lives. Some people love to study and think about kingdom ideas. Other people need to get sweaty and dirty in their service to the Lord. One person loves working with children; another avoids them at all costs. God can use any passion and interest, so long as they are connected to him.
- Envision God’s Will for Your Future
T.E. Lawrence was a man of much accomplishment. He was an Oxford graduate, a British archaeologist, an army officer, a diplomat, and a writer. But he is most famously known as Lawrence of Arabia, the British man who helped the Arabs defeat the Ottoman Empire during WWI. T.E. Lawrence was a man of great vision. He once wrote, “All men dream but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds awake to the day to find it was all vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they act out their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible...”
What T.E. Lawrence was saying is that “dreamers by night” have their minds closed to reality. They either live in the dreams of the past or they do not have the courage to put their dreams into action. However, “dreamers of the day” are people who sees themselves and their world with eyes wide open and make the decision to act upon what they see. These are people with true vision.
As you walk through this process of seeking the Lord, considering your story, listing your skills and abilities, and describing your passions and values, you not only need to have a measure of honesty with what you find but you also need to be willing to act upon what you discover. At some point as you integrate your findings you will need to take a step of faith by saying yes to that service opportunity or by enrolling in that educational program or by saying no to that job offer.
And, here’s one last point: don’t be afraid to ask for help in this process. Your pastor would be thrilled to help you discover God’s vision for your life. Involve your friends, family, and fellow church members as well. All these people can help you see things that you can’t see and encourage you to believe that God is “able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).