Chasing Vision

Recently, I’ve been asked a question numerous times – what made you decide to write a book? I struggle with how to answer. I didn’t have a moment with a shining light or a voice from heaven saying, “write.” Instead of a quick decision, it was more of a slow and steady build, until one day, I found myself outlining ideas and forming chapters in my mind.

For years, I felt a stirring in my spirit to teach God’s Word. But I never knew exactly what that meant. At first, this caused a large amount of distress and angst in my spirit. If God was directing me, why wasn’t there a clear path? Why couldn’t I find ways to use my gifts? Why did I feel so unsettled?

Somewhere along the way, I realized that God’s vision was not just about the future – it was about today. I could spend my time looking for the perfect opportunity or I could just start. I didn’t need my career to line up with my vision; I just need to walk it out.

A friend and I began a small group Bible study in our home. From month to month and year to year, the group varied – different women from different walks of life, two people to twenty people, a variety of topics and teaching styles. But one thing was consistent – we opened God’s Word and learned together. Overlapping with that, I began teaching a women’s class at my church. At varying times in both of those settings, we studied through the book of James. I was drawn to the simple, practical wisdom James offered, and it became one of my favorite books.

Fast-forward about ten years – another city, a different job, a new church – I found myself leading another small group through James. Not long before, I had started a weekly blog to explore writing and to grow my skills. Somewhere along the lines of that study through James, I realized I had a book in my head and on my heart. The title Finding Simplicity wouldn’t go away, and neither would the random thoughts about what I could include in this non-existent book.

That is when I had a decision to make. Would I venture out and start to write? Was I ready to take the next step? The foundation for Finding Simplicity began long before I ever wrote the first word or even knew I wanted to write. Each time I studied the Word, taught a small group, wrote an essay, worked hard on a project, or was faithful to what was in front of me – I was chasing God’s vision.

Too often, we want the results without the journey, but most often, God is preparing us throughout a lifetime. Over the next few weeks, we are going to talk about seven lessons I learned as I pursued the vision to write a book. We will also be looking at an incredible leader in the Bible, who chased God’s vision. His name is Nehemiah.

If you read the opening chapter to the book of Nehemiah, you find a man in captivity under the Babylonian empire. His brother and a few Jewish friends brought him news about Jerusalem. Their report included words such as broken, distress, reproach, and burned down.

Nehemiah immediately began to weep and turned to God with prayer and fasting. He called out for God’s mercy, asking Him to remember His promises of redemption, “O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion before this man.” (Nehemiah 1:11 NASB)

Chapter one concludes with this note, “Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the king.” The message from his friends stirred a vision inside of Nehemiah. While a position as a servant may not seem like the place to carry out a vision to rebuild Jerusalem, it was the exact place he needed to be. Nehemiah’s heart was prepared, and God was going to move right where Nehemiah was.

What about you? What vision is God stirring in you today?