“Then Adonai answered me and said: “Write down the vision, make it plain on the tablets, so that the reader may run with it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time. It hastens to the end and will not fail. If it should be slow in coming, wait for it, For it will surely come—it will not delay.””

‭‭Habakkuk‬ ‭2:2-3‬ ‭TLV‬‬

I still remember when my dear friend Denise used this verse to talk to me about having a family vision and goals – like a marker to measure progress – along the way. I have to admit, my focus has been on the first point – have the vision so it can be carried out – not the second part: if it is slow in coming, wait. 

Her counsel was the impetus to us creating our family mission and vision statements. It guided our moves and decisions. It grounded us when we were tempted to give up or stray and inspired us to keep going in the lonely stretches of road. 

I also have a vision for my work and personal life: to leave people better than I found them. I want to inspire and build them up. I champion causes and ask questions that cause people to go deeper. The vision fuels my decisions, my actions, my questions, and my responses. Sometimes I miss the mark but the vision is there to recalibrate me to my greater purpose. 

In today’s reading, I lingered over the second verse and am reminded that not everyone will understand my vision, it won’t always be welcome, and at times, it won’t be well received. So what do I do? Give up? Do I just stop running? Of course not. I might need to course correct, I might need to stop at the water station or bend down and tie my shoes, but I keep going. I slog on through the rain and the sunshine. I slow down on rocky paths and be more intentional. Whether the road stretches out before me or winds down a broken, unknown path, I will keep going. That’s what vision does – it presses you forward. 

Adonai has put passion and gifting inside each one of us. I pray we tap into the life source He has for for us so we may run the race with endurance until the very end. 

Father – thank You for Your Word and for the people You’ve surrounded me with who have shaped me. Thank You for clear vision and passion. Help my friends discover the fire within. You are good and You keep doing good. Your leadership in my life is perfect and You can be trusted. Amen. 

Daily Reading: Habakkuk 1-3

August 20, 2022