A homely vision

"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." (Proverbs 29:18)

Folks don’t understand us. It’s not their fault; they just haven’t lived life in our shoes. The truth is, about 20 years ago or so I would have been among the clueless when it comes to really understanding how a “mega-family” operates. I still have times of wondering how we make it myself.

This ministry of having many children requires more than a portion of my life. It requires everything I've got, heart and soul. Lately God has alerted me to the fact that our home has been missing a vital ingredient; vision.

Led by the Spirit of God!

I looked on the Internet and found a few good definitions of this word. The first was more material in nature, A clear, detailed picture of what should be achieved.

This meaning encompasses a great part of what I need in my home. It's quiet important for me to have an understanding of what needs to be accomplished on daily basis, and then to be able to communicate this idea to my children. For instance, if we need to prepare for a special activity, It's not efficient for me to spring it on everyone at the last minute; this would be a logistical disaster! Just getting everyone dressed properly for the occasion, especially if it's even slightly formal, is a major project. I know that most folks have to think long and hard about the “perfect” outfit, and sometimes have to try two or three on before making a decision. Can you imagine 14 people having to find the right outfit, all at the same time? Or what about being in charge, not only of your own attire, but the clothes of at least ten other people? This is why getting dressed encompasses, not only the clothes in our closets, but how well the laundry is kept up (it could be that someone’s special shirt or dress is at the bottom of the communal hamper, under the other three loads we built up since yesterday). What we will eat (we have to plan ahead with something simple so that cooking and cleanup don’t eat up two hours of our time), not to mention how the rest of the house is kept up (such as where we put shoes and coats when we take them off so that we can find them again!).

So, for me, organizing my house is not just something I do because I am a “neat freak”. If I do not have a plan, or “vision”, my people perish! They don’t eat well, they don’t dress well, and they most certainly don’t feel well.

No place like home

But this job is never done, because, “if there’s one thing you can count on, things are going to change”. This means that I must constantly be tweaking things to ensure that our lives are humming along like a well-oiled machine. 

Over the years I have instituted many plans, so much so that my husband is weary of hearing them. But we are all benefiting from the trial-and-error of my little planning experiments that turned into routines that help us live well together.

The truth is, the only good that remains is what God gives to me. This directs us to the second definition of “vision” that I found, A visible revelation from God, like a dream but usually experienced while the recipient is still awake.

Our home is more than a physical shell full of material goods and robot-like beings. Eternal spirits inhabit this space. They have desires, needs and feelings, which end up affecting or being affected by the spiritual forces both in and around them.

The organizational vision must not exist for itself; it must be a backdrop to the more important work of the fulfillment of the ethereal ideal. This ideal can not come from us as the parents; it must come from God Himself.

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." (Romans 8:14)

Yesterday was our anniversary. We have been married 27 years now, and looking over our lives we are so thankful for the ways He has moved. But what about the next 27? Where does God want us to go? What does He want us to be doing with our time each day? How could we best cooperate with the plans He has for us? 

These are not questions we take lightly. We are not guaranteed to win the race just because we start out on a good footing. We must continue to be focused on our goal, while putting our best foot forward. We must “finish well”.

"For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." (Galatians 6:8-9)

So I have been petitioning Him for visions and revelations. This household is much too big for me, by myself, to handle organizationally, and it is definitely out of my league spiritually. My husband especially needs clarity in his spirit in order to obey God's direction for our family.

Father, I am out of ideas. I need the freshness of Your Spirit daily—our Helper. I need to have my mind “quickened” with understanding. I need the wisdom from above, which is “peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” Oh, how I need this perfect wisdom flowing through my life today! If I were Solomon right now, and You were asking what was my heart’s desire, this is what I would ask for. We need not just “a” vision, but multiple visions daily. You are our only supply, and where else would we go? We wait expectantly on You.

For the glory of Your son, Jesus,

Amen.