God always desires to conceive in us a Bigger vision than the ONE we’re imagining. – Shellie Rushing Tomlinson
My first Christmas after becoming a Christian, I was a new mom AND I’d just gotten engaged. After the birth of my son, God brought an amazing man into my life. As we sat in front of the Christmas tree, I had a good future for myself in mind. I believed that John and I would remain in our small, California town, he’d find a good job, and we’d raise a few kids. Thoughts of writing books, traveling the world, or filling our house with many children was no where on the agenda. (Perhaps just as the star in the sky and the angelic choir were no where on the agenda for the shepherds who met the Christ Child.)
God has done more than I ever dream, mostly because I’ve been willing to follow His Big Vision.
So how can we embrace God’s Big Vision for our lives?
- Surrender to God’s gift. God didn’t give Jesus just to give you heaven. He also gave you Jesus to transform your life on earth. As Shellie says, “I choose to think about how God broke the bank (so to speak) to give eternal life to the whole mess of us.” The first step to embracing God’s Big Vision for your life is accepting His gift, surrendering to it.
- Realize that your gift to God is your witness to the world. God gives us grace, and that’s not something we should keep to ourselves! As I shared the good news of God’s grace with others, doors opened for me in amazing ways. God’s Big Vision is that His name is known. This is His will, it is no mystery! And as I stepped out my vision was enlarged, and my goals for my life changed. As I sought God, my “dreams” for my life were no longer about me … but about following Him and sharing His truth in numerous ways.
- Ignore the quaking in your boots. Could you imagine the fear that came over the shepherds to see heavenly beings hovering above them? Yet because they were willing to be brave and seek out the Christ Child, they got to experience something all of us wish we could have been a part of … Jesus in the manger. Yes, you may be afraid of God’s vision, but backing away from it will mean you’re missing out!
There is no doubt that the vision God will give you will scare you. You’ll feel unsure and weak. That’s okay, because God not only gives us a vision of what He wants to do with our lives, He gives us Himself. We’ll only be able to ignore the quaking in our boots when we depend on the Holy Spirit within us.
The vision that God calls us to will often bring anxiety, but when we depend on Him He’ll pour in the strength too. God doesn’t call us to great tasks and then leave us to our own devices. When we step out to follow His vision, He will strengthen us to step out of our comfort zones. And it’s there where we’ll discover the Christ in ways we never expected! It’s there we’ll see a glimpse of how big God’s vision for each of us really is.
How about you? How can you share Christ with the world? Take one step, and I guarantee God will enlarge your vision for you!
Download the printable at Shellie’s website!
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