2020 Vision
In 2019, almost everyone was excited about what 2020 would bring. Cute clichés like 20/20 vision and clarity were used to talk about the expectation of the upcoming year.
I was going to drill down into the specifics of my career, explore my interests and passions, dabble in business ideas and take an overseas trip to Europe. I was going to be in prayer for the things that I was trusting God to do for me this year and I was wholeheartedly believing that this would be MY year of clear vision for how I would live my life.
The year started out pretty hopeful and then what looked like a hopeful year became a little shaky with the tragic passing of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna along with many others and instability between the US government and our relationship with other nations. And then what few expected, the world was officially and collectively in the middle of a pandemic.
All the plans that I had for myself in this year seemed feasible this pandemic had me confined to my home because of the dangers COVID-19 posed. I was supposed to get vision, clarity, and purpose. Yet here I was, well, am in my house only allowed to leave for essential things. How is this going to be my year of vision and clarity when all I see are the walls of my home?
What if the year 2020 is still about vision and clarity? Maybe it’s just not from our human understanding of what vision and clarity look like? What if 2020 is not so much about a clearer vision of what we envision for ourselves but about us seeing God more?
“In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.”
My ability to see Him was always there but life got in the way. The pleasures of life weakened my vision and clarity of who God was. Distractions crowded the clear view of God like standing behind a crowd of people at a concert. Like a performance continues, the move of God was still occurring but my positioning kept me from being able to see God move. I was distracted until our current way of life literally stopped me in my tracks and I could no longer run to the things I wanted to pursue and made understanding God my sole pursuit.
“Like a performance continues, the move of God was still occurring but my positioning kept me from being able to see God move.”
I am now convinced that this year, this new decade is about seeing and understanding the nature of God and who HE is. His attributes, His character, and His ways have become more clear to me than they have ever been before. Not because of some “ah-ha” moment but because the distractions of life had diluted my personal understanding of God. If you are ever in a dark room and observe your pupils, you will find that they will naturally expand to let as much light in as possible in order to see. Similarly, it’s amazing how some of the darkest moments in life have the ability to bring us to a fuller awareness of God’s presence and a deeper understanding of God. You hear people talk about God and who He is, what He’s done for them and what He can do which is great but I think it’s hard to understand until it’s personal.
God is a PROTECTOR. While many others have perished, God has sustained me and allows me to wake up with renewed purpose daily. God is a PROVIDER. He provides me with every breath I take, HE is the source for everything I need. God is JEALOUS and has shown me more and more that my relationship with Him should never come second to my job, passions, plans or anything else and He deserves to have first place. God truly CARES and not just about the big things but even the small things. I struggled the other night trying to plug in my phone charger behind my bed and complained to Him about how I was tired of struggling and asked for help. No sooner than finishing my prayer, my charger slid into the socket with ease! God is REAL and has always been. I admit, I naively neglected ways to see Him daily in my life because I was so consumed with what I had planned but God! He’s so LOVING that even in the helpless state I’m in, He still loves me, cherishes me and values me to make me aware of His presence and His ways.
This new and current way of life has been a rollercoaster of emotions for me. My heart aches daily for those who have lost loved ones and for those who are on the frontlines but God has been consistent through it all and He hears my prayers of peace and comfort for all. God’s character is unchanging He will always be a loving, protective, providing, jealous, caring and real God and there is still more to learn of Him. Years from now, the stories that will come from this will vary from person to person because we are experiencing this in many different ways because it’s personal. In the same way, how you experience God is also personal. God shows up when we ask Him to show Himself to us (Jeremiah 29:13). Get vision and clarity on who He is to and for you. What will you learn of God for yourself in this season?