One of the biggest fears I have, is the question of am I moving to the place that I’m supposed to be. It’s the classic case of a kid wandering around and trying to see what their purpose in life is. I am definitely in that stage, a college kid with big dreams, ones that seem crazy to achieve. So, when I start to get fearful and over-think everything, I have to step back and look at what the vision for my life is. A vision for life is not a road map with a destination, but more like a guideline for the trip. It’s essentially how we are to live as we walk in life. I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of what my vision for life is, and more importantly what does Christ say my vision is. If you’ve read the last few posts of mine, you have most likely seen that I have been reading through Romans. I have loved reading it and thinking about what it has said, but all things end sometime, and I finished reading through it this past week. I say this because the last bit of it deals with what I think is the vision for our lives. Romans 15:5-7 says, “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” From this, there are three key elements that show us how to live under the vision of Christ.

We need to own our faith, and live it.

The first part of those verses is Paul telling the Romans that God has given us essentially everything, and that we are to have the same mindset of Christ Jesus. We need to own our faith, meaning we need to not just know what the word says, but we need to live it. It’s easy to have an attitude where we know what it is we should do, but when it comes time to getting a little dirty in order to live our faith, we shrug it off and walk away. That’s not what we are called to do, we are to claim our faith. This means worshipping with all that we are, when no one is around to see. It means we read our bible even when we don’t Instagram it. It means talking to God in the good times and in the bad. Too many Christians make a show out of their faith, we need to make it personal and let our actions lead to the open doors for people around us. In order to live into our vision, we have to own our faith.

We need to come together as the Church.

Community is essential for humans. There is no worse feeling, than being lonely. When we are alone, no matter how solid we are in our relationship with Christ, we will fall, because there is no accountability. This is why it’s so vital to be in a church, serving, and proactively attending a small group. We should surround ourselves with people running after Christ, being open in prayer and helping our brothers and sisters in need. Finding that tribe to stick with will help you in your life tremendously. I’m so thankful for the close friends and mentors that have guided me through life. My family has been a huge part of my growth and I love all of them tremendously. My brother-in-law Tim, has been a great friend in my life, he’s the guy I wanted to take care of my sister. He has been someone that I can talk to, and he can talk to me. We both have struggles, because that’s a whole part about being human, but as we walk in life together, we can step away from our sin and step into our purpose. Tim is my friend and brother, I love him and his heart. People like Tim are the kind of people we need to surround ourselves with, that’s where we will have community.

We need to share our heart.

The final part of the verses in Romans say that we not only live our faith and have community with fellow believers, but we need to share our heart with those who don’t know what God can do for them. It would be crazy for us to keep the joy and the purpose we have found to ourselves, so why wouldn’t we share it? There are different answers to that question, but the main issue for me is fear. I’m afraid of what people will perceive me as or what they might say, but it’s silly to think like that. It doesn’t matter what happens, the best outcome is that they find that relationship and change the world, and the worst is they may just say, “No thanks.” Even then, I have planted a seed for Christ to start moving in their heart. Honestly the fear is a lie from the enemy, the lie may be something different in whatever your situation is, but it is a lie. We can do all things through Christ, we don’t need to be afraid of anything! We should share our heart at every chance we get, and never hide the joy we have found.

To bring this together, our vision is the way to live our life. This doesn’t mean we will figure out exactly what we should do with our lives, it’s simply the way to live as we move forward. Do we feel lost? Sure. Do I feel lost at times in my life? Absolutely. But, I know that God has a plan for me, he takes my crazy dreams and will turn them into even bigger ones. I may not know where I’m headed, but I don’t have to be scared. I am living out my life through this vision, and by doing that, opportunities will show themselves and peace will follow. I hope that you live out this vision in your own life, and remember that you don’t have to fear anymore.

-Joshua Thomas