Write Yourself A Vision For This New Year

For a long time, I have wanted to write myself a vision and at last, I have just completed one. And I found that though it is simple to think of, yet writing a vision takes considerable time and focus to do the job right. However, it is a rewarding experience.

A positive vision in our hearts of things to come is a type of prophecy: a purposeful projection of thought, born out of a desire. And it is heartening to know that the Lord is not against us having desires—positive ones, for the Scriptures say: "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart."

However, when we sense a positive desire in our hearts, it is God revealing His desire for us, but sadly, one of our human traits is that we corrupt those desires, making them into something else, often selfish and despicable.

The Scriptures also say: "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." This indicates that having a vision, or purposeful projection of thought, is part of God’s law for His children. And in telling of something He proposed to do, God said: "Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables that he may run that readeth it..." This helps us understand that our purposeful projection of thought must be clear.

Do you have a vision for a higher education, a business project, or a particular vocation? It is God’s desire being birthed in you, to bring you to a higher plateau in life.

A vision plan is a helpful tool for developing focus and direction, and need not be elaborate; it may be a simple lay-out of a few well-planned lines, declaring what you would like to see manifest in your life.

For this new year, write yourself a vision plan and make it a commitment to God and yourself for a new cycle on your life-journey. This involves spending considerable time as you explore what you feel in your heart and crystallize those aspirations in written form.

And when you sit quietly and write out your goals and plans, something special happens.

Write your vision plan when in your best mood—not when you are tired or downcast. Your plan must present a picture of how you will like your life to be, as clearly as you can. And each part of your plan must be a complement to all other parts. Go through the following categories and state your preferences as concisely as you can.

Add some dates to your plan by which you expect it to be made manifest. And review your plan often to determine the progress of your visions. Most of all, be realistic in your plans.

What career will you like to pursue in the new year? What types of recreation will you like to spend time in? What hobbies do you want to pursue? What relationships will you like to build? What specific dreams and goals will you like to pursue? What are your aspirations for the spiritual life? In what location do you choose for residence? In your life, what can you do better? How can you improve it?

These are just a few ideas and you might even add other positive ones of your own, according to how you feel in your heart, and present them to God with a prayer like this: "This, Lord, or whatever is highest for your glory and the benefit of my soul."

Be assertive about the effects you want in your life, yet not rebellious. Note that there is a fine line here about being assertive and not rebellious. Know what you want out of life. Examine it. Ask yourself: "Is this morally right? Is it legally right? Is it socially right? If you can say "yes" to these questions, consider it to be a desire from God and follow them through. Place your written vision plan in a place where you can easily see it and pray about it often.

Submit this simple blueprint of your desires to the Spirit of God, the Master Architect and ask Him to perfect it and direct your paths. And if your plan is a long-term one, be patient as time goes by, trusting that God that He will bring it to pass, all in His divine timing.

And last, but not least, consider making a commitment in your plan to spend more time with God this year and being more diligent in serving Him as time goes by.

Suggested Readings: Psalm 1:1-4; Psalm 37:4; Proverbs 29:18; Jeremiah 29:11;
Habbakuk 2:2-3; Mark 11:24; Philippians 4:19.

Reflection: God is willing that I should prosper.

Prayer: "Dear God, I bless the vision you have placed in my heart. Help me to witness its fulfillment. Amen."