Vision is the God-given ability to see the invisible. Without it, ‘people…stumble all over themselves’ (Proverbs 29:18 MSG). When God told Abraham he’d be the father of many nations, he and Sarah were old and childless. Naturally speaking, it looked impossible. So God ‘took Abram outside and said to him, ”Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”’ It wasn’t enough to hear what God said: Abraham needed to see it in his mind’s eye. And although the promise wasn’t fulfilled for twenty years, every night when Abraham looked up to the sky, the stars were a constant reminder of God’s faithfulness.

Woodrow Wilson said, ‘No man that does not see visions will ever realise any high hope or undertake any high enterprise.’ To create something, we must first have a vision of it by seeing it through the eyes of faith and burning the image onto the canvas of the mind so it won’t be lost or forgotten. Jesus said, ‘If your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness’ (Matthew 6:22-23 NASB).

There's a story that as Michelangelo looked at a chunk of marble that the owner had insisted was worthless, Michelangelo said, ‘It’s priceless to me. There is an angel locked inside, and I must set it free.’ What we ‘see’ can change the direction of our lives. It can inspire us to do great things and be excited for God’s plan. And the good news is, no matter how dark things look today, God can still give us a fresh vision and a new future.

What Now?

Next time you have something to throw away, have a think if, instead of getting rid of it, you can repurpose it. (For example, could you cut down your Christmas cards into gift tags for next year? Turn an old pair of jeans into a customised cushion cover?) Can you ‘see’ a new purpose that others might not spot?