Building with Vision

Rubble can overwhelm you.  It can overwhelm you so much that you go to resignation and passivity.  Apparently that’s what happened to the citizens of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile.  Their city had been in ruins for over a hundred years. 

And when a man named Nehemiah showed up, nothing new was visible.  He wasn’t the first person to see the problem.  The people of Jerusalem had had an eyeful of rubble every single day for over a hundred years.  It was all there in plain sight, you couldn’t miss the rubble if you tried.  But no one had done anything about it.  The sight just overwhelmed them.  They resigned themselves to the idea that nothing could be done.  Passivity had set in. 

But that all changed when a man with a vision showed up.   Nehemiah took a midnight ride to examine all the rubble.  He investigated all the ruins because he was committed to the project.  When he finally announced his intentions to those who would do the work, he knew exactly what they were up against.  Nobody could accuse him of not understanding the magnitude of the task.  He did not allow the size of the challenge to overwhelm him.

The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.  Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire.” (Nehemiah 2:16-17a).

Of course they saw it.  They saw it every day. 

But as is the case with anyone who is casting a vision, Nehemiah had no idea how the people would respond.  After all, he was a newcomer.  They had been resigned to live without the benefits of protective walls for generations.  For all he knew, they might run him out of town, or laugh, or worse yet, just ignore him.

The people in Jerusalem had ceased to be concerned.  They had learned to live with the rubble.  The inconveniences and the dangers it imposed was just part of their lifestyle.  Over the years they had lost sight of what could be and what should be.  And nobody remembered what used to be.

So Nehemiah’s words were a wakeup call.  In essence he was saying, “Open your eyes!  Things are bad!  We’re in trouble.”  His fresh set of eyes brought a new perspective.  And without much prodding the people of Jerusalem took a fresh look at their situation.  In that moment they saw their city through Nehemiah’s eyes. 

Waking from Passivity

Vision casting always includes an element of waking people out of their passivity.  Vision casters rarely bring new information to the table.  What they bring is an impassioned concern about an existing problem.  Often it boils down to a contemporary interpretation of an age old problem. 

What is the problem your vision addresses?  The problem is not the vision.  The solution is the vision.  But the problem provides a clear context for presenting the vision.  Identifying and clearly stating the problem pricks the interest of the audience.  It engages their minds.

What problem will your vision solve?  What need will be met?  What point of tension or conflict do you propose to ease?

 Remember you don’t have to have the “how” all figured out, but you have to have a crystal clear “what.”  You’ll always get the “what” and the “why” before you get the “how.” 

Everybody in Nehemiah’s audience was in agreement concerning the problem.  The walls were nothing but rubble.  Nobody was disputing that.  Having established the problem, Nehemiah proposed a solution. 

Paint a Picture

Once again the solution is obvious.  But it requires somebody saying it to motivate people to action.  And in verbalizing the solution, Nehemiah went public with his vision.  Simply put, Nehemiah’s vision is Jerusalem as a walled city.  His mental picture is a strong city with a strong defense. 

With very little prompting Nehemiah’s audience is able to picture Jerusalem as a walled city.  This vision ignites a desire in them to alter the present for the sake of a potential future.  Nehemiah taps into their imagination.  Consequently, they sign on.

Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace." I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me. They replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began this good work (Nehemiah 2:17b-18).

In order for others to share your passion, you must give them a clear picture of how your vision will alter the future.  They must know in no uncertain terms where you are taking them.  So you must paint a verbal picture that serves as an imagined target, something everyone can shoot for and work toward together.  You must engage their imaginations.

Like I said, you don’t have to have all the “how” worked out.  God always gives you the “what” before he gives you the “how.”  But you must be crystal clear in the “what.”

No one accomplishes a God-given vision alone.  Whether your vision involves the salvation of a friend, the improvement of your marriage, the launching of a new ministry or the launching of a new business, it is going to take a team.  A team whose imaginations are in alignment.  A group whose hearts have been knitted together by what could and should be.

If God has birthed a vision in you, he is in the process of developing a similar vision in the hearts of others around you.  When the time comes to share your vision, it will ring true in the souls of those he has been preparing.

In the meantime, your responsibility is to continue to develop a clear verbal picture of the problem your vision is intended to solve, and why that is important.