February 11, 2018 • Life for Leaders
God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so.
Genesis 1:4-7
In my last devotion, I underscored the need for clarity at the beginning of our pursuit of God’s vision for our lives. When you turn on the lights at the infancy stage of your project, you can clearly see what you have. Resources are made visible, and inadequacies are often highlighted. So what do we do once the lights are on?
I often wonder what God saw once the lights were on in his earth. How did it look to him—this earth that was void and without form? I can only imagine that it was a mismatch of water, land, gases, and a host of other unidentifiable objects. This is often how many of our visions look to us in the beginning. We see the bigger shape or form, but the details and individual components are indistinguishable. Have you ever been in a space where you could sense the potential, but couldn’t quite make out the shape, purpose, or power of that potential? When God looked at the earth, under the light, he saw a complete earth, but also a messy unrefined project. This was his cue to then bring definition to his world… so he organized.
After God brought light (clarity) into his earth, he began to put things in their proper spaces. God separated the waters, split the light from darkness, and caused land to surface. I’m sure if we saw before and after photos of the earth, the “before” scenario would probably have the caption “chaotic,” while the “after” photo would most likely read “orderly.” The beginning, messy stages of your vision can often be chaotic and feel overwhelming. However, as I like to remind my clients, chaos is meant to be managed. You shouldn’t attempt to avoid the organization stage. Instead, you should take on the challenge head on through the eyes of confident faith that God will use you to put things in their proper order.
To make it practical to you, I would strongly suggest that you construct a business plan or vision impact statement. This plan should be exhaustive—write out every thought in detail, and thoroughly explore every avenue to the “nth” degree. Answer the who, what, where, when, how, and why. Doing this allows you to begin to bring separation and definition to the components of your vision or project. When God gives you a vision, it already comes fully equipped with everything necessary to succeed, stand, and flourish—you just need to organize the vision to see what you are working with. Take the time to review your vision or project, and this time, don’t run away from the chaos… manage it! It’s time for you to bring order to your vision. It’s time to organize.
Prayer:
Father, when we consider creation, we marvel at how you made beauty out of a chaotic mess. You purposed everything that exists and placed it in its proper place. As we work on your visions and projects in us, help us to confront the chaos with your clarity and order. Today, we endeavor to organize ourselves and our works as an act of submitted worship to your plan. We give you all glory, honor, and praise for entrusting us with your works. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.