Visions of Rest and Restoration - Dr. Dalton-Smith - I Choose My Best Life

Thousands of you have joined me on a journey this year to find the rest you need. I am thankful for the feedback I have received from those who have read Sacred Rest and are daily working out their own restful journey.

Recently, a lot of people have asked me about the use of vision boards. When some hear me talk about them, they become concerned if they are biblical. I believe they are and that God can use them to help lead you toward the life He has for you.

Despite most of us have an ample amount of activity to keep us busy, we often spend our days going around the same mountain. Doing and doing without knowing the direction we want to go and without a clear understanding of where God is leading us.

This is not new. The Bible is filled with men and women seeking God’s direction. Scripture makes it very clear that God desires His people to have VISION.

Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) warns us, “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”

What is vision?

I read numerous translations when I research a scripture. Let’s take a look at how other translations defines VISION. I’ve highlighted each definition of vision.

NIV – Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.

NLT – When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.

ESV – Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.

CEV – Without guidance from God law and order disappear, but God blesses everyone who obeys his Law.

VISION = revelation, divine guidance, the prophetic, and guidance from God.

I don’t know about you, but I need ALL of those things in my life because without them it becomes too easy to allow all my activities and responsibilities to pull me away from the things of God.

One way to stay on track with how God is leading you is to follow His advice found in Habakkuk 2:2  (ESV) “And the LORD answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.” This is how a vision board can be helpful.

Vision boards are simply a creative way to display how God is leading you.

What better way to make something plain than to capture it in a collage of images and words. If you feel God has given you a heart for mission, your vision board may include a picture of the people/country you feel called to. If you are being led towards writing a book, starting a business, or embarking on some other act of faith, your vision board should include images of the desired outcome.

A vision board shouldn’t simply be a wishlist or bucket list. It should be a visual representation of Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Your vision board should display the hope-filled future God has revealed to you. Things yet to come and that are awaiting their appointed time. Opportunities and blessings still on the Potter’s wheel, not yet in their final form but being molded in the hands of our faithful God. The final result will likely not look exactly like the picture on your board, but that image will serve to remind you of what God has spoken into your heart. He alone knows what the manifestation of His word in our life will ultimately look like.

Yearly, I challenge you to evaluate your vision board. As you grow in spiritual maturity, Holy Spirit will give you more clarity and discernment on what should be on your vision board.

If there are things that have been on your vision board for years with no sign of God bringing that vision to pass, draw strength from the promise found in Habakkuk 2:3 “For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.”

CREATIVE REST PROMPT – CREATE A VISION BOARD

How To Create A Vision Board:

1. Begin by simply spend some time with God and listening to the promptings of His spirit.  Ask Him to give you a vision of what Jeremiah 29:11 looks like in your life. What does a prospering hope-filled life look like for you?
2. Next, collect images that represent the vision God has revealed to you. This can include goals, dreams, desires, promptings, anything you feel God is directing you towards.  You can use your own photos, pictures you cut out of magazines or find online, or you can use drawing you make. You can cut out pieces from maps of places you want to visit, scraps of fabric that have a special significance or write out phrases and words that have meaning to you.
3. Determine what type of platform you will use for displaying your images, words/phrases, and meaningful items. This can be done digitally on your computer using a collage program like Canva or PicMonkey. It can also be done on a cardboard poster or pin board.
4. Gather your images, objects, and phrases and begin to arrange them on your platform. Do not initially affix them to the base, just let them lay in the position. You will want the freedom to be able to move the items around until they visually appeal to you. That’s the creative part! You get to make it your own work of art displaying the beauty of what God wants to do in your life.
5. Once you know where you want each item, you can them start to affix it to the platform you have chosen using glue, tape, pins, or staples. If doing digitally, you can then simply hit save, download, and print. Display your completed vision board project in a spot where you will see it throughout the day. Let it be a reminding of where God is leading you and don’t be afraid to add to it as fresh revelation comes.

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