20/20 vision has evaded me since middle school. My first pair of spectacles graced my face in eighth grade and I have been the beneficiary of optical assistance ever since. Over the years I have advanced from prescriptions that were mostly for reading, to lenses that corrected astigmatism, to non-glare, high definition, and more recently, progressive lenses. Some transitions have been smooth and easy, but that has not been the case with my most recent upgrade. This is my second pair of progressive lenses and they are a challenge to get used to. It is frustrating to spend a sizeable amount of money on a pair of glasses that I expect will help me see crystal clear only to find that my new lenses seem worse than the old ones. The eye doctor has assured me this is normal as my eye and brain adjust to the different powers in the lens. I have also been strictly instructed to NOT switch back to my old glasses as this will only inhibit the process.
We seem to hear a lot about vision – vision for our nation, vision for our churches, vision for our businesses, our organization, our family, our life. We hire leaders and CEO’s that give us a vision for the future. We elect a president that sells a vision of change. The problem is that we hit a few bumps in the road or encounter some resistance and we switch back to our old glasses. Fear sets in and we revert to doing what we’ve always done.
I have been pondering a phrase that the Ridder Church Renewal Team has heard many times. “If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting. Can you live with that?” This quote gets me thinking not only about vision, but also acting on that vision. Vision needs to be followed with execution. Joel Barker has said, “Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. But vision with action can change the world.”
There are areas in my life where I feel as though my actions have just been passing the time. I have lacked vision. I wonder the same for the universal church and American Reformed. Do we lack vision and just settle for doing what we’ve always done? Can we live with that? That’s not to say that things we have done in the past are wrong, but will they carry us into the future? Are we satisfied with making good church members rather than following Jesus and making disciples? Has our church become a place for people to stay instead of a launch pad for people to go into the world? Are the results that we are getting from our discipleship methods, and consumerism worship, and attractional evangelism bringing us in line with God’s vision?
The end goal of the Ridder process is to have faithful and fruitful missional living both personally and congregationaly. That is a vision I can get behind and work to advance. It won’t be easy. Change never is. There will be detours and pot holes. Things might get messy and the temptation will be to retreat and put on our old glasses, but can you live with that?
So how’s your vision? Proverbs 29:18 warns us that “where there is no vision, the people perish”. May we be a people whose vision is so clear that our fears become irrelevant.
Erin Jacobsma