Having a worthy vision, forever cleaning up

Mama has been getting a lot of coaching lately and much of that coaching focuses on vision – a clear, specific image of your future. In one training the coach said, “The best way to predict your future is to create it.” So, to reinforce the training I asked Mama what her vision for the day was. Instead of giving me her vision, she gave me a long set of goals for the day. Goals are set milestones or targets that move you to a strategic accomplishment. Hopefully, those goals move you toward your vision, but they are not vision. So, I began to think, how do I make the concept of vision work in my thought life? It is not as easy as supposed, especially for those of us who are believers.

We are hesitant to visualize or create a mental image of our future because it goes against the grain of allowing us to be led daily by the Holy Spirit. So, concentrating on the temporal – as we typically tend to do – is a path we try to avoid. But what if we let the Holy Spirit give us His vision for our future? If we focus on the Spiritual vision God has for each of us, all the things we need in this daily walk in the world will be provided for us – as promised in Matthew 6:33. The promise is that if we seek first the things of God, all the necessities of life we spend so much time agonizing over will be added to our lives as needed. So, that is where my focus is going to be because I believe God wants me to have a vision for this life, a Godly vision. Something that motivates me to press through difficult times. A vision that encourages me to remain faithful to the end. Something more than just surviving day to day, enduring this life as I wonder if I am making a difference. I still have some praying to do to get there, but that is the path I am set upon.

Mama was supposed to go visit with Kimberlyn today, but those plans fell through. She will still have to go to the feed store to replenish our stock of feed, but she is not pressed to do so at any particular time. Being home for the day will facilitate her business goals for today. I have to admit, even though she is having trouble verbalizing it, she has caught a vision for her business, and it shows in her commitment to grow this business. Honestly, we are not seeing the fruit of those effort but if you continue to do the right things, the right results will come. Another Bible principle we take for granted. It is the principle of sowing and reaping. Whatever seed you sow you will reap – later than you sow, more than you sowed. We just need to make sure we are sowing the right seed…in thought, in word and in deed.

Speaking of sowing, Mama and I are going to get started on our garden this weekend. There are not many things we can plant in the actual garden plot, but there are several plants we can get started on in pots and tubs which will be kept in our sunroom until the weather is right for them to be set outside. We already have one row of potatoes planted. They were not bought as seed potatoes, but they were not eaten in time to keep them from turning into seed potatoes. By the way, most of the fig trees I separated out last year survived the deep freeze they were put through. The blueberries and blackberries seem to be showing signs of life as well. All the fruit trees are starting to put out buds and a couple seem to be far more alive than last year. Maybe the freeze helped them. At the very least, it did not kill them.

This weekend will be spent on cleaning coops and barns. I have neglected the small goat shelter for too long and with the outbreak of lice in that area, I need to clean and sanitize it thoroughly. Of course, I would rather be doing other things, but that will take precedent. I also have to add to the compost bin we have overfilled with manure from the coop. I like being able to put all that mess somewhere where it can be managed, but we have exceeded the capacity of the 4x4x4 containment I originally set up. It will not be difficult to double the size of the bin so it should not take me too long to get done.

To assist us in cleaning up, I am going to hook up the brush hog to the tractor today so Mama and I can chew up the accumulation of leaves from last Fall. Somehow it seems to be more than we have dealt with in the past. As far as mowing, we need to mow but the clover that is covering the back yard is being fed on by the bees, so it will stay until the flowers are gone. It looks ugly to us, but they are needing the pollen and nectar so we will endure the ugliness for the sake of the bees.

A small sacrifice for a big gain.