What’s On Your Vision Board?
The mind of a person plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.
Proverbs 16:9 (NASB)
I have been on this unique journey — reconciling my desires for growth, change, and flourishing with living content in the Lord and what he has provided. You may have noticed a theme in my writing these past few weeks. Lord, Declutter My Heart , It’s Just Stuff and now What’s On Your Vision Board? What is the Lord doing in my heart?… Surely he is up to something. Continue reading along to see what he is stirring up in me as of late…
I am a little embarrassed to admit that I have created a vision board.
What is a vision board you may ask?
A vision board, as I know it, is a collage consisting of pictures and/or words containing goals, aspirations, nice things, and/or experiences you are working toward. But for those who want to get technical, here is the definition from dictionary.com: “a collage of pictures, text, and other items that represent and affirm one’s dreams and ambitions, created to help visualize and focus on one or more specific aspirations.” (See, I told you!) It’s what you really want - if you could have anything. Your vision board is then placed where you will often see it for motivation. It keeps your goals at the forefront of your mind and provides some drive when it feels like you’re just going through the motions. I should mention, typically this kind of goal setting encourages “envisioning and visualization” — almost a think it into existence kind of tactic. Many get a little lost in the weeds in “manifesting it into existence”… That’s not exactly a biblical mindset (not in the least bit, actually), but, nevertheless it tends to come with the territory of a vision board.
Personally, I enjoy seeing photos of what I hope for and am working toward and it does give me that boost to remember why I’m working hard…. manifesting nonsense aside. I’ll share with you a little bit of what mine contains…
My vision board consists of snapshots of travel, a nicer vehicle (okay if you must know my dream car is a white Jeep wrangler), it contains the house we hope to someday build for our family, our small business flourishing, my dream of writing full time, plus a few other odds and ends. It’s not super complicated. I’m not a very flashy person. I buy a lot of my clothes from Costco for Pete’s sake! But a girl can dream can’t she? This girl… She wants some things. And I think about those things while I create, post, and help with our family business.
So that’s what’s on my vision board.
What would you put on your vision board?
Travel? A nice home? A super fit body? A lavish vacation? Perfect health? Getting to shop exclusively at Whole Foods? To uproot and live in Europe? Financial success? Successful children who don’t need therapy? The dream job? Finding the right spouse? Homesteading? A jeep wrangler? (The white one of course)…
We usually want the best. The success. The health. The pleasure. The joy. The ease. The comfort.
Me? Well, a car that we don’t have to keep sending to the shop would be nice.
However, those of us who are Christ followers are fully aware that even while we are working hard for what we deem as good and worthy of pursuit, life often unfolds differently then we would have planned or expected. (Unless you align with the prosperity gospel doctrine, that’s a post for another day.)
Optimistically, our boards don’t typically contain some of the hardships that we are sure to face…
The diagnosis,
the disappointments,
the job loss,
the indecision,
the anxiety that won’t quiet,
the weight that wont come off,
the loneliness,
the financial hardship,
the conflict,
the infertility,
the church hurt.
And why would they? We don’t go out of our way to seek suffering, disappointment, or failure. We aren’t going to cut out cute little pictures of a broken down car, rejection letter, or ghosted relationship to create a collage of hardship. We don’t usually envision setbacks and disappointments. We don’t use sin or loss as motivators. But often these are the circumstances the Lord allows in our lives. In this Genesis 3 world there is toil, grief, and disappointment. No amount of positive thinking can thwart the hand of God or reverse the sin that permeates our world, culture, churches, family, and work. We live in a fallen world. (How’s that for positive thinking! Haha.)
Yet, at our core, we were designed to want all things to be made right; for our lives to flourish. We can’t help but long for peace, stability, comfort! I love how Paul Tripp puts it in his sermons and books, we exist “in the already and not yet” and all of life is to bring about our holiness; for ultimately we desire to be fulfilled by what we are promised in eternity with the Lord…
Consider this encouragement Paul writes in his letter to the Romans in chapter 8:
“…what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering.”
We long for what is right, perfect, whole… The vision board above my desk holds pictures of what I see as good. Eternity promises a reality restored. Even creation groans for all to be made right.
The road laid out for us is winding, shifting, and changing. Let’s talk about some examples of the many directions the Lord leads us…
God could open a door for a ministry position, or close it. He could indeed call you to the mission field to live among an impoverished community to share the gospel. He may call you to start a business so that you can have margin in your finances, care for your family, and be insanely generous. He may bring a chronic illness into your life, growing your dependence on him for every single moment, just to get through the day. He may have you in the home full time, calling you to lay your vocational aspirations down, so that you can homeschool your children.
God might call you to be a teacher, doctor, writer, coach, barista…
He might provide the big house or the small rental. He might provide the means to travel to Italy or have a fun staycation in your home town. He might provide the means to purchase the white Jeep Wrangler, or keep you in the '09 Santa Fe a little bit longer… (It’s me, I have to keep driving that thing.) What you put on your vision board just might be what God is sovereignly leading you toward… I don’t know, but He knows!
God has given us the gift of choice. With wisdom, godly counsel, and our abilities we can pursue a life that we enjoy. We can plan our course, God determines our steps. It’s all ultimately in His hands.
Further still, in all of my grappling and sorting of what’s on my vision board and what I envision for my life, I have come to a simple conclusion: it’s less about the what, and more about the who. That’s at least the conclusion I can’t help but come to after spending any amount of time in scripture… God is after the heart. He cares about your heart.
My vision board might need some tweaking…
Throughout the New Testament there are many lists of the conduct we are called to display in Christ… Colossians 3 and Galatians 5 come to mind. With the Holy Spirit’s help, we are to be kind, compassionate, generous, forgiving, loving, honest, faithful, self- controlled… (and many, many more!) That’s quite a list!
Wherever you find yourself, in whatever set of circumstances, who is the person behind them?
Could my vision board be less about what I own and more about growing in generosity, forgiveness, and kindness? Could I add what may seem a little less tangible or material?
A desire to become…
more self controlled in my thoughts.
To have forgiven those who’s sins hurt me the most.
To be kind to my husband and children…
To have a deeper grasp of God’s love…
To allow Him to bring about my holiness, depending on the Lord for each and every moment, his grace sustaining me as I live, walk, and breathe.
What would it look like to make it my aim to be totally transformed into the person I am to be in Christ?
(Quick reminder here that Christ is the only one who perfectly obeyed and lived a holy life — we cannot do it! By his grace we can grow in becoming transformed into his likeness, but as I mentioned earlier, we are in the “not yet” side of eternity… I will always make this caveat because many pastors in this day and age are teaching behavior modification / morality and that isn’t the gospel. Okay, back to our regular scheduled programming.)
A Prayer of Surrender
Here is my encouragement to you today: take all of the things on your vision board- hopefully good things - that you desire and you hold it all out to the Lord and pray something like this:
“God, you know my heart. I make my plans, but you carry out my steps. You know my desires. I hold them all out in my hand and bring them to you in sweet surrender. You know what I long for, but help me long for what you have for me. Help me long for you. And if not, if I never see some of these hopes and wishes come to be, I know you are still good. Because my salvation in Christ is the best thing I could ever receive. To have you is to have it all.”
Fellow saint, whatever he gives you, whatever vocation he calls you to, whatever circumstances come your way - do it with all your might unto His name, for his glory. (See Colossians 3:17) That’s his plan for you. That’s what he wants you to want. A life that points to his goodness - add that to the board.
Final Encouragement
I wanted to conclude this post with some amazing news after discussing some of the harder circumstances that may come our way, despite what we envision for our lives. Listen to this promise at the end of Romans 8 — this is FOR YOU if you are in Christ:
“Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, ‘For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.’ No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
A God who will never leave me? Who will keep me until the end? Who’s love is more powerful than the powers of hell? Yeah, I’ll take that on my vision board. That’s the God who is in charge of my days. I’ll take his plan over all of my wants, any day.
I’ll work hard, hope, and dream, but more than accomplishing my goals, I want what He says is good for me. Now that’s something to place on my vision board.
What’s on yours?
Thank you for reading today. Talk soon. - Sarah ☕️
