Ben Lemery | Church & Culture

Living in the Now While Looking Ahead

About three years ago, I knew that I was moving to California.  A year later, I moved. 

For an entire year, I was looking ahead to what was going to happen.  I built my dreams, my visions and my hopes on everything good happening when I got out here.  In the meantime, the present day life somewhat slipped.  The projects and activities that would help others build to the future didn't really matter to me because....I wasn't going to be there in a year to see the results of my work, so why do it with the full gusto?

I did the work, I got it done but it certainly lacked the passion that I would put into past work. 

In fact, the only thing I did put major passion into were the things that would benefit me in the future.

I find myself in the same predicament now as I feel God stirring my heart for the future but this time it has a big banner along the road with two words:

FINISH WELL

How you finish in the present determines how well you will operate in the future. 

So now I have to make a choice.  How will I finish well before the next step of the journey takes place?

Have you been in this position before?  How did you finish?  Would you have done something different? Same? 

Long-Term Visions Require Long-Term Patience

One good thing about being in a wilderness season is that you cannot rush into visionary projects.  My mind is always playing chess, strategizing and laying out ways to reach the people intended for each project.  My notebook is full of musings and writings over two years.  I even tried to get some of the things going but none of them came to fruition. 

 
When God tells you to enter into a season of rest, He will do it one way or another.  Sometimes, it simply takes two years for you to get the hint. 

Visions somehow ferment like wine though, the longer they sit and develop, the stronger the flavor and more pure the taste when the bottle is finally opened.

Have you gotten frustrated by your timing not being the same as God's?  Do you sometimes feel like He has forgotten you because others are doing the bigger things? 

Please pray for me as these things continually churn in my heart, that they would develop to be in His will and not mine.  What visions do you have for your life?