There are different levels of interest, enthusiasm, and pursuit that I see when asking Christians about the role of vision in their walk:
- Yes, yes, yes! Enthusiastic, visionary, love vision, have big vision – and are pursuing the vision(s) that’s on their heart.
- Yes, yes, yes! Enthusiastic, visionary, love vision, have big vision – but not stepping into it or not pursuing it.
- Don’t want to create a vision because their heart is 100% wanting to be “in God’s will,” and creating a vision feels like it would be their will.
- Don’t think too much about the future. They don’t feel the need for vision, or vision scares them ever so slightly. Maybe they think they are not a “visionary.”
Which number are you?
Wherever you are, whichever category you feel you fit into, vision is part of your inheritance as a child of God. You were made in the image of God, and He is a visionary! God has plans. God has vision. God has dreams in His heart. The good news is many of these dreams in His heart are about you, and He wants us as His children to participate not only in His dreams for us but in co-creating dreams and vision with Him.
God’s Thoughts About Us Having Vision
Christian Coaching
Imagine how wonderful it is for our Heavenly Father to see His sons and daughters bravely create vision for how to impact planet Earth for good. Imagine how He feels when we dream about how to bring His Kingdom to earth—His values, His desires, His goodness, His heart.
How do you think it makes Him feel to have His sons and daughters engaged and creative with their mission on earth in this way?
Stop for a moment and ask:
Lord God, Heavenly Father, how would it make You feel for me to have more vision, more ideas on how to impact this planet for good?
What the Bible Says About Vision and Plans
Christian Coaching
- “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18, KJV)
- “You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you, and light will shine on your ways.” (Job 22:28, ESV)
- “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:6, ESV)
So whichever category you find yourself in, be encouraged that having vision pleases your Heavenly Father. It is also in your natural DNA from Him who created you.
As a child of God, living out His will, involving Him in your vision is an incredible privilege. Making your vision one that you co-create with Him is, in my opinion, one of the most fulfilling and wonderful experiences on your faith journey.
Types and Levels of Visioning
Christian Coaching
You can:
- Create a vision of a solution around a particular problem you have.
This is a commonly used coaching technique. It is really helpful, as it shifts you to be solution-focused when you may feel stuck. - Create vision around a goal or project that is brought to a coaching session. So the focus is less around reversing a problem and more around defining and clarifying what success looks like when the goal is complete.
- Create vision for larger projects or goals, such as setting up a new business or ministry. Usually, visioning here involves looking not just at the launch phase but at future phases, maybe 2 years, 5 years, and beyond.
- Work on a “life vision.” There are tools in the Co-Creative Coaching toolkit which are specifically designed for this. They offer a framework to coach life purpose and identity. Figuring out your life purpose leads you to wanting to build a vision for it. This vision will be big and will span into thinking of your legacy too.
God can—and really wants to—be involved in all these levels.
How Can We Involve God in Creating a Vision?
Christian Coaching
Surely it makes sense to involve the one who created us in our vision for how we will use the life He gave us?
This is one of the most transformational elements in the Co-Creative Transformational Coaching model.
In Level 2 of this model, we lead people through a process of visioning, which helps them to create highly resonant and compelling vision, and to co-create it with God.
Involving Him can be as simple as acknowledging Him in these visions and plans. Or, we can go to the next level and invite Him into the actual creative process.
This can be done by asking Him strategic questions along the whole journey of visioning:
- Ok God, I’m building a vision for how to overcome this goal. What are Your thoughts on where to start? What do You think about this goal? Are there any other goals that You feel are priority?
With larger projects and life purpose visioning, you can also involve God by asking Him:
- Ok God, this is my picture of what the first year could look like. What does it look like to You? What would You change? What would You add? What excites You?
- This is how I see this vision impacting earth in my lifetime. God, what are Your thoughts?
- How can my vision to live out my purpose impact earth in my lifetime, Lord?
- How can my vision to live out my purpose impact earth beyond my lifetime?
During the visioning process, we can also invite God to inspire us:
- Ok Lord, I’m stuck. I don’t feel inspired. Show me a way to be inspired. Whose story can inspire me, God? What question can I ask You that will allow You to show me what You want me to see so I can be fully inspired about this?
I have so many ways to open up the visionary parts of people I coach—whether they consider themselves “visionary” or not. This is an exciting process, and the Holy Spirit helps us so much because it is God’s heart for us to create, and that always starts with a vision.
It is also such an honour that our extraordinarily creative Father, who created everything, loves to partner with us, to guide us, to inspire us, and to affirm our efforts in this process.
How can you grow into the truly visionary child of God you were created to be?