How good are you at SEEing things? Especially things that have not come to pass yet. I love to read about inventors - people who SEE even when that vision is not yet tangible. SEE-ing in ministry helps motivate me to persevere, to put aside my insecurities and ambitions and press on. I just read Mary Beth Chapman's book "Choosing to SEE" about the tragic death of their five year old daughter and how the simple word "SEE" became a choice for them every day. Even now, when things are tough and heartbreaking and even when hope abound they make the choice to SEE.
This month our children are learning about INITIAVE - SEEing what needs to be done and doing it. We are studying the story of Nehemiah how he chose to SEE not just the visible crumbling wall but the unseen finished work. Nehemiah chose to SEE, and then to plan and act. And as he moved forward doing what needed to be done, others were inspired to follow. They will learn that when we do our part God shows up and does what only HE can do. For some it might appear to be a story about a building project but God knew it was so much more and this quote brings it all into perspective for me...
"Ezra reads the scroll, and God's word becomes more important to them than it had ever been before, because they actually witnessed and saw what God did. And there was an entire generation of children who had lived in a broken down city and as a result of SEEing what God did through Nehemiah and their parents and the adults of that generation, believed in God, in a way they had never believed in Him before. Nehemiah taught an entire generation to SEE things in a way they had never seen."
That's a challenge for me - and a vision I want to hold tight to. When we, as leaders, see what needs to be done and do it God can speak into our children and youth in ways we can only imagine... and do what only God can do. Can you SEE it?!
