Summer is a time that we imagine to have more space. Leisure increases and there is more time to do nothing particularly important. It is not a time to make plans but a time to daydream. Visioning is what comes in September when the usual rhythms of school and work return. When the days start to shorten again, we turn our attention away from the sunshine and into the things that must be done.
I have always loved visioning which the Biblical writers encourage us to make plain. It has to be something we can all understand and more importantly something that we can actually do.
This is what I’m thinking about as summer begins. What is my vision for my life? Unlike the invitations to sing and walk in months prior. this monthly prayer practice invites you to actually sit down and make it plain. You’ll create something. It might be a list. Or a lyric. It might be a sketch that you keep adding to every day. Use pencil because there is no final draft here. This is a vision that will change and grow as you do.
The other bit of Biblical wisdom about visioning that church leaders especially love is that without a vision, the people perish (Proverbs 29:18a). It is something essential to moving forward into the unknown but it doesn’t outline how we will get there. It is not a map or even a plan. Visioning is a way of seeing. As Alfred North Whitehead said, “The present contains all there is. It is holy ground; for it is the past and it is the future.”
Take this as an invitation to reflect upon this present moment with me and consider its holiness. That is this your prayer and not some long list of things that you might accomplish this summer.. Let this not be about the books you’ll read, the miles you’ll run or the other “productive” things that might be on your mind but instead a way to see clearly where God is moving in your life right now.
To do this visioning, I’ve created this resource to download and use with your journal or sketchbook. You might take these steps with you as you go into the day or spend some time each morning in quiet contemplation. It is your vision. There is no right way to do this but to begin to wonder with God.
I hope and pray you find the way is made by visioning this month. As you are inspired to do so, please share in the comments below your experience of visioning.
As you enter into this July practice, here are some questions for reflection and prayer.
What is God’s vision for you?
What does writing this vision down help you to see about yourself and the world around you? What more do you want to see?
Where do you notice your conversation shifting to how you speak about this moment now that visioning has begun?
How do you see the present possibility of right now?
As we consider together what visioning might mean, I thought this was a really interesting read on the decline of playtime for kids in America. It seems worth asking not just for kids but for all of us, what do you do to play each day?
Visioning seems to always be loaded with purpose and meaning. That’s all well and good but I loved what Peter Marty writes about being an interesting person in a recent essay in the Christian Century.
You might decide that one of your visions for this time is to retreat. You might be heading to the beach anyway and want to take along a guide. Or you might want to plan some intentional time in a garden one morning a week all to yourself. Head over to Dandelion Marketplace to create your own space for renewal with these new retreat resources I am offering. Look for more opportunities in the future.
If you are interested in spiritual direction and are interested in a first conversation with me, please reach out or go ahead and book an appointment here. I am currently welcoming new directees and would be delighted to explore the holy threads of this life with you.