Maintaining a Vision

This morning I was reading a student's report about the development of the transcontinental railroad in the United States in the 1860's. He shared the information that it was in 1862 that President Abraham Lincoln signed an act to support the railroad's development. As I read this I was struck by the implications of such an act.

First of all, this was during the American Civil War and secondly it was only a few years before Lincoln was assassinated. As I pondered on this I couldn't help wonder how many of us allow ourselves to make important decisions about tomorrow when our today might be filled with havoc.

Granted, Lincoln had no idea his life would be cut short, but he certainly had no guarantees that a railroad could be built during a war or that the US would still be a nation when the railroad would finally be finished, and yet he did have Hope.

He had hope in the nation, hope that there would be people to benefit from such a decision. He did have a vision for a better tomorrow. No matter the wars, literal or figurative, that rage around us we should have hope for tomorrow.

We can plan for a better future for our children, ourselves, our church, our community, our nation, etc.

Advent begins November 29th. Advent is a time of preparing for Christ's coming. I guess you could say God was a visionary. He had stopped talking to His people for hundreds of years but planned for a better future by sending Jesus. During Advent Christians are encouraged to prepare their hearts, minds, and souls for when we remember Jesus' birth.

The weeks before Christmas are often busy with shopping, decorating, baking, extra cleaning, etc but if you want to truly maintain a clear vision for tomorrow then the best thing to do is to remember the meaning of Christmas and make sure Christ Jesus is the center of your preparations.

Yes, I would say God had a vision for us all and continues to maintain that vision; let us claim it for ourselves as well.