2020 Vision

"Where this is no vision, the people perish; but he that keeps the law is blessed."

                                                                                                                      Proverbs 29:18 KJV

*Please note the title is not my original idea but comes from the theme of a vision board party facilitated by Pastor K.Spivey*

Last night more than a dozen of cheerful, smiling faces gathered around with colossal magazines, glue sticks, scissors and poster boards to embark on a new journey. The serene atmosphere provided the perfect ambiance for dreams that were about to come to life.  We claimed our comfortable spot and dived right in with great excitement. We each had different visions but the motive was the same, "write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readth it." Habakkuk 2:2

I greeted this opportunity with high expectation. I knew miracles were about to take shape in my head. At first, I thought about past vision boards failures and my lack of commitment, so it was hard for me to stretch outside the box. I attempted to censor God's abilities with my small, limited thinking. I restricted the vision to make it more attainable (in my eyes). As I took notice of the other ladies stretching their goals to maximum capacity, God sent a word of immediate correction. He said, "You can either form your vision or create my vision." Then words started gracefully leaping off the pages speaking to the dried up oasis of my heart. Every time I turned a page, I felt God speaking more clearly to me.

Normally, when I take on projects of this magnitude, I'm really quiet and fussy within. My preoccupied mind, claims my undivided attention to create a perfected masterpiece, but God had something else in mind. Each time I attempted to glue a piece down, my hands became unsteady. What seemed like a "mess" was just what God intended. He never speaks to me in timely, chronological order, so he didn't want my board to become a reflection of order & tidiness. He definitely stretched the raging perfectionist in me. It was organized chaos as a mirror of my free spirit. It was creativity breathing new life to old things.  It was evidence of God's promises leaping off the pages, overpowering my simple mindedness.

My heaviness shifted and I noticed that I transformed into a highly energized extrovert for the first time. I literally let my hair down and maximized the moment. A few of the ladies & I joked about our "imaginary requirements" for potential mates. We welcomed the opportunity to build our version but we knew better. However, it didn't stop our jokes of the endless possibilities of what that potential looked like. I shared that mine would be a smooth, laid back, charismatic Neo soul, poetic type to stimulate the high strung creativity in me. Then I had a memory lapse, thinking about my passion for international culture, so I imagined an exotic mate more complimentary to my preferred taste. In fact, I showed a nearby friend pictures of that "potential." We both laughed hysterically because they were two totally different people, more like milk and oreos to be exact!  I found myself in a more playful mood that I'd been in awhile. We all shared pieces of our incomplete journeys. We took our projects seriously but we made it fun! We laughed, joked and collaborated to find perfect pieces to complete our excursion. As I resorted back to the comfortable, (my introverted personality), a friend interrupted my thoughts with, "Crystal, I don't hear you down there." You're too quiet! What? I was apart of something! This was REAL! I wasn't 'invisible" after all. These ladies saw me with their hearts. We genuinely loved each other. We exchanged hugs just because, embraced the newly formed bonds and peace filled the air with the sweetest aroma or maybe it was the scented candles but I loved it! We sang to the Christmas melodies and joy leaped from heart to heart. This moment provided more than a completed vision board. It was a celebration of "new life" taking place. The reason for the season (Jesus) surrounded us in perfect harmony.

It was God's perfect creation under the same roof on one accord.

It was a mixture of diversity that outreached societal norms.

It was love in action.

It was I got your back, Sister.

It was accountability, when I tried to be self-critical.

It was attentiveness to pessimistic statements and constructive feedback given in love.

Truth be told, I missed these ladies. I felt loved in their presence and I loved them. They actually "saw" me--the real me! They weren't dismissive and inattentive to my needs. We provided collectively, what each one lacked individually. We were family!

When it was time to break for refreshments, nobody wanted to move. We were paralyzed by this o'mazing tranquility. We were focused & task driven. We didn't even yield to the call to eat. Food was a disruption even with growling stomachs. We were on a mission. We couldn't seize the flowing creativity--well, until the smell of goodies overpowered our senses. Then we made a quick dash for the kitchen. My eyes were in complete astonishment. Everything was magazine perfect. There were so many choices for  a non-meat eater like me. All of my favorites were present. Who was fishing around in my head? The Holy Spirit had to influence those preparations. It didn't seem real. God exceeded every expectation last night.

As we finished up, I didn't want to leave. I enjoyed their company. I hesitantly cleaned up my area with a little sadness about our cherished moments ending. Then I was reminded that Thursday night, we have the honor to assemble under the same roof with the same love.

God has repeatedly said to me, " Stay close to the fire." I assumed I knew what that meant but it was confirmed on my way out the door.

We came in with distorted vision but we left with God's resurrected power of 20/20. Our sight had been restored, our minds had been rejuvenated and our hearts regenerated with love.

On the way out, we received gifts. Not just ordinary presents, but tokens that spoke loudly with personalized expressions. Gifts that confirmed the giver's heart, of not only hearing, but listening to the passions of each woman's heart. God showed out and showed up! I will never forget the innocence of this pure moment. The atmosphere stole my heart and indeed my cup is running over this morning. Joy really does come in the morning. I can testify to that on today.