Have you ever had one of those days when the puzzle pieces just fell together? We had one of those today in our household. It's not one of those great days of revelation, but rather some slow and steady things that have been simmering for some time but just hit 212 degrees and have started rocking and rolling.
I wrote the other day about vision. About how I'm coming to learn that vision is not something you do, but something you have. In the world that I live in, mans plans of any sort are secondary to those of my Father in Heaven. And while His ways are not my ways, and His thoughts are not my thoughts, He does want us to be able to follow him. I think I used to to believe that if you just looked hard enough, you could find God's will. But I don't believe that anymore; as I read in a book earlier this week, we can't find God's will; it must be revealed.
A few months ago, I started a set of strategic business planning and entrenprenurial leadership coaching with Mark Sturgell of the Performance Develop Network. PDN has been there for me quite a bit over the last year, and will be with me as we head in the future, regardless of where we head. As part of that process, we spent a good bit of time talking about identifying vision, mission, and values, and how those will be constant roadmarkers for me, my business, and my life as I move into the future. Through that process, I realized that a great opportunity for us to work within will be specific types of associations within some specific industry areas. I made a few contacts, had a few phone meetings, and then the summer got busy. I lost touch with a few of the people I wanted to meet, and admit I was a bit discouraged, although I knew I'd "try again" sometime.
Sometime happened a couple days ago, when I knew I just had to knock out an old to-do list. As I made calls and wrote emails, I connected with the guy I'd lost track of in May, who remembered me and also couldn't remember how we'd lost touch.We spoke for about 30 minutes about a vendors association that serves two particular other associations; the very ones I've wanted to get involved with, but have been pursuing as individual organizations instead of the association as a whole.
All that to say, in about a month we may well be participating in our first convention-type meeting with both the vendor association and the association that represents around 50 small busineses around Indiana that we want to pursue. It just so happens that this particular year, there will be a special joint convention and there will be member businesses from around the entire nation there as well. Everybody from Indiana. Several from around the country. Right in my back yard. And exactly where we felt we needed to be, but didn't know how to get to.
Anyways... we also had a great experience with the vet and our new horse. He got a good bill of health and while we have some things to work on, it's just another nail in the confirmation coffin that God has been leading us down this path, and that we have been following Him. We wander a lot, we lose the trail, but He is faithful to bring us home.
The last thing that really pulled this all together was how we started reading Esther on the Daily Audio Bible today. The story about a woman who clearly had a very specific purpose in a very specific place at a very specific time. Had she not stepped into her role, no matter how frightening, overwhelming, and crazy-big it seemed, the people of Israel - Jesus' anscestors - would have been wiped off the face of the Earth. There's a verse somewhere where her uncle Mordecai encourages her, "perhaps you were made for such a time as this." That is an encouragement to me. I may not save a nation from annihilation. I may not cure cancer. I may not even find a specific role with this association; but I feel God leading us this way, it fits with everything we've discovered and have sought, and it's like my Father is telling me, "Go For It. You Have What It Takes, and I Have Your Back."
To hear that? From my Creator? Why do I fear? Why am i hesitant? I choose not to be. I do not need to live in those lies, those half-truths... We know where we're going, and we are going there... now.
So anyways... another rock on the pile. God is faithful. Our stories matter. Mine. Yours.
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