Yesterday, I attended a stewardship seminar on behalf of my church. (I think. They asked me and a couple of other people if any of us could go, and I was the only one to say yes. But no one has said anything about when or if they want me to share what I learned, and I'm not on the finance committee.) At any rate, I learned a few things.
A couple of things that were said really got me to thinking, and not necessarily about stewardship as it relates to the church. First was the discussion about "vision." If you're involved in any kind of organization or business, you are probably aware that the organization should have a mission statement and a vision statement. He said the vision statement outlines how your organization would look if it were, in fact, able to fulfill its mission statement. He said vision statements need to be big, bold, clear and compelling if you want anyone to support your organization. He kept drawing comparisons between vision statements and actual eyesight. He said that he could take off his glasses at home and, although everything was blurry and not very clear, he could navigate sufficiently within his house without them, because he was comfortable in his surroundings. But he couldn't venture out beyond his own small, comfortable, world without clearer vision. If we want to venture out, grow and expand, we need clearer vision.
The second thing that really got me thinking was right at the end of the day. He talked about the old TV show, "This is your life." In the show, a guest would be surprised and friends and family would share stories of the person's life. Yesterday's speaker asked, "What would be said about you if you were on that show?" That made me think:
First, what would be said if they were profiling our church? Would people come on and say that our church had a positive impact on their life? Would they tell a story of a time where we showed compassion, love and understanding, or would it be a story of being judged and made to feel inferior? Would anyone outside of our membership have anything at all to say about our church? Taking that a step further, if our church closed its doors tomorrow, would anyone outside of the current member miss it? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the answers for my church are negative. I'm saying, these are thoughts that should always be in our minds and helping to govern how we act as disciples of Jesus Christ. And these thoughts apply for any church, not just the one I belong to.
Second, what would be said about me? Would people have good stories to tell about me, or bad ones? Would I be portrayed as a loving, compassionate person, or a jerk? Would people say I was a positive, upbeat guy, or would they say I was always complaining? Would the stories told about me make it clear that I strive to live a Christian life, or would I end up looking like a hypocrite? I'm not fishing for compliments here. I'm simply saying that I should constantly evaluate what I'm doing to make sure I'm setting a positive example and leaving behind the right kind of legacy.
Along those lines, I got to thinking... I should have my own mission statement and vision statement. Proverbs 29:18 says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." I've been looking at my life through my own, blurry, human vision. Has my inadequate human vision kept me from venturing out of my comfort zone, the places I can navigate without having to see what's around me too clearly? Or, have I tried to venture out, only to become lost and on the wrong path because I couldn't see where I was going?
I realize this is not a new idea, but it's not something I currently have. So, I'm going to start praying and working on my personal mission and vision statements. I'm praying that God will open my eyes (no pun intended) and allow me to see my life through the "corrective lenses" of Jesus Christ.
I want 20/20 vision.
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