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A Too Small Vision
March 1, 2010
Pastor Bob Nienhis
 
A Too-Small Vision
I saw it again recently. The snow falls during the night and everything disappears under its white covering.
Trees hang heavy as the snow coats its branches. Roofs sparkle as the rising sun reflects off a freshly-laid white blanket. Children, waiting for the school bus, cannot resist the urge and make angels in the newly-fallen snow.
Then there are the cars.
For some of us, our cars rest comfortably in the garage, escaping the snow that falls during the night. Others, however, are not so fortunate and they lie covered by the snow, awaiting the owners brush and scraper.
Driving to the church following a recent snowy night, a car approached. Still covered with the night’s deposit of snow, the driver had cleared only a small opening in the windshield by which to navigate down the road.
Now, there may have been a good reason for such an action. Perhaps this person had gotten up late and didn’t have time to clean off the car. Or perhaps the driver thought that the snow would blow off as he or she headed down the road.
For whatever reason, the car was left covered with the night’s snow and a small opening was made to see just enough to allow this “igloo on wheels” to drive forward.
Straight forward . . . for the side windows and rear window were still covered and this little slit of forward vision certainly didn’t allow for much awareness of what was happening on either side of the road.
It is certainly dangerous, and probably illegal, to be driving in this manner. But I also thought it sad because the driver was missing the beauty of the snow that had fallen overnight. This narrow view is confining and limiting.
Is it possible that, as Christians, we are sometimes guilty of the same thing?
No, I’m not talking about a failure to clean our cars adequately before driving off. I’m talking about being reluctant to see the bigger picture, the larger vision, of what God desires of us and to do through us.
We get a little glimpse of what God desires and off we go, peering directly ahead but missing the beauty of the bigger picture of what God is doing, oblivious to the opportunities that lie just outside of our narrow field of vision.
It’s too easy for us to say: “I like being at Liberty; it feeds my spiritual life and my friends are all here. Why should I consider participating in a multi-site effort or reach out to my non-Christian acquaintances?”
Because God’s vision for the world is bigger than ours, that’s why! When we take the time to brush away our preferences, to scrape off our prejudices and eliminate our hindrances, we begin to see God’s bigger vision.
May God keep us from a too-small vision and may we embrace His vision so that it becomes our vision.
Cheerfully.
Pastor Bob
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