God Vision- Ready, Set, Go!

It was such an exhilarating feeling when we broke ground for the first time in February 2018. Our plot had laid dormant for two years as terms like BOQ haunted us, filling our hearts with fear and keeping us away. After a much-needed pep talk from our then-landlord, who had become a good friend and mentor, we took what we had saved and followed his advice, “Just start. With whatever little you may have, just start.” We didn’t put any timelines on the table though I know we both secretly had dreams of when we would move into our newly finished home. We agreed that as long as we were inching forward, no matter how minimal the steps, we were on the right track. We were excited, cautiously optimistic and content. Back then I hardly ever visited the site, as I adhered to doctors’ orders to be on bed rest, pregnant with Chiara. Ceaser would share all his stories and pictures featuring him and Caleb doing ‘manly things.’ He had a camping chair and sunburn to prove it while Caleb almost always came home with evidence of their adventures all over his clothes. It was happening, the vision was slowly but surely taking shape and we were thankful to God.

We took many breaks along the way as Ceaser “shut down construction” due to a lack of funds for materials. Our building foreman, now late, always got a kick when even the smallest load of cement was delivered. He had truly joined his faith with ours over the project and we were blessed to have him. In October of 2019, our slow-and-steady-wins-the-race pace was cranked up as we felt God place a fire beneath us. I don’t know how best to explain it other than to say that we felt that God was about ready to turn our faith into sight. How did we know this was the Lord? We knew because there wasn’t pressure. The Holy Spirit doesn’t push His way, He nudges and He guides. Though we would pray separately, Ceaser and I were on the same page from the inside. It was clear to us both what we were feeling, a gentle urgency to run towards the finish line with all we had.

After taking a few weeks to pray and speak to the people God had us share this fire with, we started packing by faith on 26 November 2019. At this time the floors in the top right flat, the one we had decided we would move into, were not even tiled. There was so much to be done, not enough money, and the intense temptation to feel like our hope would be deferred before it even got a chance to get off the ground. One afternoon I visited the site with Ceaser to see how the tiler was doing. Our master bathroom was done and it looked so beautiful. I walked out through the master bedroom and let the tears flow. I was tired. Every day felt like a faith withdrawal I wasn’t able to balance, let alone honour. I feared we had gotten our hopes up for nothing and would have to contend with the hurt of crashing back down to reality. I felt sorry for the tiler who must have thought I was crying because I thought he had done a terrible job. The poor guy. He didn’t know that he had done such an amazing job that my heart ached at the thought of not making it across the finish line. How was God going to do this? It felt so impossible. Even as I recall these events I can feel the knots in my stomach from all the emotions that are attached to these memories. I thank God for Ceaser’s strength and leadership during this time. If not for him, my faith would have faltered. After a long hard conversation that night we agreed that moving day would be 20^th December 2019 and we gave our landlord notice. The math wasn’t mathing but we knew our God and His ability to do impossible math, so we placed all our doubts and mustard-seed faith at His feet. Suffice it to say, on Christmas Day of 2019, God got us through to the other side, a little bumped and bruised, but all in one piece.

And the LORD answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. ~ Habakkuk 2:2 (ESV)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. ~ Hebrews 12:1 (NLT)

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! ~ 1 Corinthians 9:24 (NLT)

Vision is a revelation from God, a glimpse into the wonderous plans He has for us. At one point or another along the way to vision, we will have to thrust ourselves forward towards the finish line. Think of it as that moment the Starter’s gun is fired, that moment when God says it’s time to move. The planning, training and preparation stage is now over and He gently nudges us into the set position to await His signal. I know from personal experience that it is easy to stay comfortable in the daydream dance with vision, content with the baby steps God has graciously allowed us to make all this while. If we are not careful, we can miss His motion to get into the set position, or worse, we can miss the sound of His starter’s gun altogether. How can we stay ready to run towards what He has prepared for us? I have five things I would like to share as I have taken time to reflect on how things unfolded with this particular vision in my life.

Be ready to sacrifice

When God gives you vision, you have to be ready to get some of your skin in the game. All through scripture, we see this taking place and it will not be any different for you or me. Sacrifice is difficult. Even just the word itself doesn’t sound pleasant. What we have to trust and believe is that God will never give us more than we can handle. If He is calling for what seems like a big sacrifice, know that He is doing so because He knows you can muster it and also because He knows what waits for you on the other side of your obedience. God isn’t after our sacrifice, He is after the obedience of our sacrifice. The next time you feel nudged by the Holy Spirit to lay something down in sacrifice at the altar of His vision for your life, ask Him for grace and strength to obey. He will meet you where you are and give you the grace that you so desperately need.

Stay determined

At around 13:00 on the 18^th of December 2019, two days before we were set to start moving, we got a call from our children’s school. Chiara was not well and was rushed to a nearby hospital. Despite my efforts to get details of what was happening with our one-and-a-half-year-old over the phone, all the receptionist would say was, “Please hurry.” Thankfully we were a few minutes away from the hospital and were able to turn around and head there. I remember seeing a teacher carrying Chiara out of their vehicle. I ran over to see my child’s eyes rolling towards the back of her head, convulsions taking over her body. I grabbed her and ran into the hospital, calling for help like the crazy momma bear I am. The hospital responded swiftly and in no time, Chiara had been stabilised and was asleep. As the adrenaline wore off in my body I felt anger rise within me. “How dare you!” I remember saying aloud several times, thankful to have the room all to ourselves. I knew the devil was trying to distract and deter us. I could sense his evil fingerprints all over the situation and I was rightfully mad. Ceaser stood up and we both began to pray. After a while, we felt a release and knew we had to stubbornly press on despite the scare. In a few hours, Chiara was awake, actively making us laugh like she usually does. The doctor explained that she had a nasty throat infection and would need antibiotics. She had spiked a fever which caused the convulsions, thankfully harmless. She needed to be monitored, given paracetamol and allowed to rest. We thanked him, thanked God and took our baby home. The hospital bill put a dent in our budget but God came through and closed the gap. Caleb and Chiara went to stay with my mother for the five days we planned to get stuck into the moving process ever so grateful for Mom having our backs.

I say all this to say that just because you are moving in the right direction, doesn’t mean you won’t face opposition. This scare with Chiara was a low blow, a desperate attempt by the enemy to intimidate us away from the finish line. It stung at the moment but proved to be a pathetic attempt in the end. I shared in last week’s blog how we faced opposition from someone quite close to us who believed our faith was misplaced. Sometimes it’s easy to face off ‘haters,’ people who come up against your vision from a safe enough distance away, the true challenge is how you handle the same opposing force from someone near and dear. My encouragement to you, when you face adversity, is to slow down ever so slightly, check in with the Holy Spirit, and if He is still giving you the thumbs up, meet intimidation with determination.

Stay humble

Often when we are on a faith journey with God, there is a thin line between humility and pride. For some reason, the temptation is to believe that just because we are in faith, we are somehow more spiritual than those around us who may think our faith is misplaced or crazy. The truth is that there is nothing that separates us from them other than a revelation from God. If we didn’t have that revelation, we too would think it crazy. During such life-altering times, we need nothing more than to have God walk closely so we can’t let a hint of pride get in the way. Another thing to recognise is that we will make mistakes even whilst on a faith-filled journey to vision. The Bible is full of examples of this; Abraham, Moses, David and even Peter, all slipped up, believing they were doing the right thing as they ventured out towards the finish line of their revealed vision. This was true even for Ceaser and me, as I said, God got us over to the finish line, albeit with a few bumps and bruises to show for our missteps, but He kept us and His mercy was made manifest even in the months that followed.

Be vigilant

When you are running the final leg of the race towards a vision God has shown you, you must be vigilant about your surroundings. Even the smallest of things, if not judged correctly, can trip you up, delay or injure you. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see things from His perspective. Ask Him to reveal any hidden things that may affect you and ask Him to give you the grace to correctly interpret whatever He shows you.

Stay connected

Last but not least, stay connected with God and with others. God will always highlight a few people who can join their faith with yours to get you over the line. Your faith alone won’t be enough, no matter how committed you are. Stay connected to God by praying without ceasing throughout the day, allowing your spirit to check in with His Spirit. Have Bible verses and prayer points you can share with those who are championing your faith move. Reflect on and share daily testimonies as God paves the way ahead of you. Stay connected with your spouse if you are walking this out together. Don’t allow silly arguments to get in the way of what God is doing. Pray together, praise together and if you need to, cry together.

When God gives you vision and favour to accomplish that vision, you are unstoppable. Yes, it will take a little sacrifice, and yes, you will face some adversity but you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Don’t allow pride to become a stumbling block, keep your eyes open, both physical and spiritual and stay connected to the heart of God. God has many amazing things in store for you. Are you going to run towards it or shy away? I hope you’ll run. I hope you run with everything you have when He whispers, “Ready, set, go!”