The Death of a Vision

We all have some idea or "vision" of what our life is to be like, what career path we're going to take, where we want our kids to grow up...  Many of you have followed that vision to the letter and are exactly where you planned to be at this point and time.  Some of you, however may not be anywhere near where you thought you'd be, yet here you are; we call this

"the death of a vision".  

The death of a vision can leave us with an incredible sense of loss.  Bill Gotthard said, "Sometimes God leaves our vision dead and never revives it; this tells us it was not His will but of our own making.  Sometimes He renews and fulfills our exact vision and sometimes He brings to life something similar, but different."

In John 12:24 Jesus says, "...unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.  But, if it dies, it produces many seeds."

God has a special purpose for all of us and He equips us for that purpose.  We all have desires, ambitions, and special talents.  When we are able to visualize, by faith, what God would have us do with these ambitions or talents, we see

"the birth of a vision".

Look at the birth of the vision in John 12:24, as it pertains specifically to the grain of wheat.  We see that a grain of wheat has a "vision" of reproducing itself and many more grains of wheat.  The death of the vision comes when the grain falls to the ground and dies.  At that point, it seems impossible that the vision of producing more grains of wheat can ever be fulfilled.  

We can very easily become discouraged when our vision dies; when we see no possibility for coming back, of having our marriages restored, our careers resurrected, etc.  We have to remember that if the vision is God's to begin with, He will be faithful to complete it.  We just have to wait on Him and trust Him.  We have to walk by faith and not by sight.

The loss of anyone or anything that matters to us can trigger the grief process; the closer the relationship or the more we've invested (of ourselves, our time, our money, our hopes, our dreams), the deeper the loss.

Five Stages of Grief

1 - Denial - "this can't be happening"; "there's got to be some other explanation"

2 - Anger - wanting to fight back, place blame, get angry at someone, even yourself for allowing "it" to happen, even God; bitterness.

3 - Bargaining - attempting to make deals with God to stop or change what's happening.

4 - Depression - an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness, frustration, unforgiveness, mourning.

5 - Acceptance - finding the good that can come out of loss; finding comfort and healing; finding forgiveness and peace.

"The eyes of the LORD watch over those who do right; His ears are open to their cries for help...The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those who are crushed in spirit."  Ps. 34:15 & 18

God sees what you're going through right now.  God hears your cries for help.

Psalm 84:6 says that there are "refreshing springs and pools of blessing when we walk through the Valley of the Weeping".

How precious is that?!  My commentary on these verses says, "Growing strong in God's presence is often preceded by a journey through barren places in our lives...The person who loves to spend time with God will see his/her adversity as an opportunity to re-experience God's faithfulness."

It's hard to say how long we might experience any one stage of grief, but the fulfillment of the God-given vision is a promise; He will complete what He began.  The fulfillment of the vision is not dependant on where we are in the grief process.  We may not, however clearly be able to see God's hand until we've completed the acceptance stage.  After all, hindsight is 20/20.

"The fulfillment of the vision"

 in John 12:24 is seen as the harvest springs up out of the very process of what appeared to be the death of the grain that fell to the ground.  In Isaiah, God says (and I love this), "...I am about to do a brand new thing.  See, I have already begun!  Do you not see it?  I will make a pathway through the wilderness for my people to come home.  I will create rivers for them in the desert!"  (43:19)

God is doing a "new thing"!  He's "already begun!"  God says He's making "a pathway through (what feels very much like) the wilderness" and He's "creating rivers" for us in this dry and weary land.  The word "create" here is the same word used in Genesis 1:1 - bara - it means "out of nothing".  God's not fixing your old vision, He's creating a brand new vision - He's already begun!

But wait...there's more good news...

Not only is God creating a new vision for you by way of a new job, new love for your spouse, new appreciation for life, etc...

God is doing a "brand new thing" inside of you also - in your heart and in your mind!

Charles Stanley said, "What the mind thinks governs everything."  Look back at The Five Stages of Grief...Your loss drug you through denial, anger, bargaining, and depression all of which separate us from God.  Those thoughts/feelings originate in the mind and find it's way to our hearts where bitterness and unforgiveness can easily take root.

Step into the "refreshing springs, and pools of blessing", my friend.

 God's "new thing" has begun!