Reality Bites

Vision is exciting.  But in looking ahead we must be aware of the present.

Nehemiah 5:1-19

Reference:  v.2  Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.” (NIV Bible)

Explore:  Vision is exciting.  Moving towards an important goal brings hope for a better future.  But in looking ahead we must be aware of the present.  Sometimes reality bites.  We may have all the best intentions for our strategies and plans but we have to be realistic in our goals.  I may want to run 4 mission activities for our neighbourhood, but when I only have 10 willing helpers then I need to be realistic about how much we can effectively achieve.

Application:  Reality certainly hit Nehemiah pretty hard when he was rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem.  He had so many willing helpers that were putting their crops and families on the line to help reconstruct their city.  But reality bit hard.  The people were going hungry, they were mortgaging their homes and they were having to give their children to slavery just to survive.  While the vision of the wall was essential for the future, was it worth the demise of the people?  It is important to have a vision and goals to work towards but we must be aware of the sacrifice it means to the people around us.  If our vision gets in the way of caring for people then maybe we are focussing in the wrong direction.

Prayer:  Lord, sometimes we can get carried away with our own vision and purpose.  Help us to stay focussed on you.  Amen.

Which side do you lean more towards:
Letting your vision blur reality or letting the present reality curb your vision?

Nehemiah