If you love Christ and desire to see his kingdom come, then you are a visionary.
SHAUNA: I’m Shauna with Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. Thank you for joining us! And Joni I know that you are a woman of vision.
JONI: Oh, my goodness. Well, thank you Shauna but let me explain what I think you mean about vision. You see, if you were to visit my art studio, you would see how close I have get to the easel in my wheelchair. You know, when I’m working on a painting, my face is so up against the canvas that I have gotten oil paint on my cheek and sometimes on my nose. I work so close, I get into the real granular details. So, as you’d guess, some of my paintbrushes are very short [it’s when I paint lots of little details]. Working like that, it really strains my eyes. And so, when I work that close; where things look fuzzy on the canvas, I’ve got to put on my heavy-duty, industrial-strength, thick prescription glasses. Because these thick lenses help me put my subject in focus; I see things as they should be seen. And that’s what I mean by vision—seeing everything sharp and crystal-clear.
And good vision is also what happens when we see the world as it should be seen, as God sees it. If we don’t envision the world as God envisions it, others just won’t get the picture. That is, God’s picture. The picture of his kingdom come. Because every time we pray “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we’re not only praying to see the world as God sees it; we are praying that we might have a part, have a role to play in God’s vision for our world. So, we as Christians are the ones who have “prescription glasses,” as it were.
And communicating a kingdom vision to the world—your world—is a little like snapping a Polaroid and then holding it up so others can get the picture. When we are patient in affliction; when we trust God in the midst of awful hardships; when we love God in our trials rather than resent him; when we show kindness in the midst of angry divisions, or show forbearance in the face of unforgiveness, or when we go about making peace rather than sowing seeds of destruction. In short, when we act like Jesus Christ in our world, no matter how small or great that world is, God’s snapshot of what life should ‘truly’ look like comes into focus. People have a vision. People get a vision; they can see the picture—God’s picture. And once they see what God can do through you, people will have a better understanding of how much better life can be and should be. Just like we pray in the Lord’s prayer: “…Thy kingdom come, thy will be done…” We’re inasmuch saying, “Oh, God, may we see your kingdom of peace and joy happen on earth just as it is happening in heaven where we cannot yet see it.” And this means, your little drastic choices to keep trusting God in hard times will influence others; your witness will bring about his kingdom of righteousness in your family, or in your workplace, or in your dorm, neighborhood, or in your community.
Oswald Chambers said, “A man with the vision of God is not devoted simply to a cause or a particular issue…he is devoted to God himself.” Oh, friend if the Lord Jesus is the one to whom you are devoted, you cannot help but be a person of vision. You can’t help but see what he sees regarding the world around you. And you will see the kingdom picture come more into focus, become clearer, the more time you spend with him. So, are you a visionary? Well, if you love Christ, and if you desire to see his kingdom come, then you’re a person of vision. So, pray his vision into being. Work to see it happen. Tell others about it. And watch the kingdom develop right before your eyes like a Polaroid. And the world—your world—will never be the same. And that’s your hope-filled word today on Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope.
© Joni and Friends