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By Nathan Decker

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”

– Soren Kierkegaard

Hindsight is 20-20. I’ve heard this all of my life. It is meant to say that we can see clearly things already past. It means some events, problems, and even answers only come into the light after we have gone a few more steps into the future.

But 20/20 vision isn’t perfect vision. All 20/20 vision says is that you can see at 20 feet what a normal person is expected to see at 20 feet. For example, if you had 20/100 vision, you would need to be 20 feet to be able to see what a normal person can see at a 100 feet. Not good. This also tells us that even 20/20 vision isn’t perfect. I can have 20/20 vision and still need glasses to read the fine print. I can have 20/20 vision and still not be able to see 200 yards out. We can have the average or normal vision and still miss a lot.

We will be starting a year now numbered 2020. What vision will we use to guide us into the coming year? As a nation we will elect officials. As a state we will make decisions on hot button issues. As a local community we will have events and celebrations big and small. Some people will be born. Some will die, even unexpectedly. Change will be constant while long held traditions will be passed on. We’ll choose to buy things locally and off online. We will decide to plant or cut down trees. And all of this will occur with or without us asking about our vision.

Proverbs 29:18 states, “without vision, people perish.” We need God’s vision for 2020. We need to spend time in prayer, discernment and love. Pray. Talk to God about your life. Discern. Ask God’s guidance for where, how and what 2020 will be. And love. Nothing that comes from God will make us choose between being right and offering compassion. Love should always be our litmus test to see if we have heard the Word clearly.

I grew up going to rodeos. A saying I heard often was, “Ride the bull, don’t let the bull ride you.” Most of us will create resolutions this year about our behavior for the coming year. What we are attempting is to have a plan. Plans are good as long as we implement them. Life (the bull) isn’t going to want to allow us to have time to pray, discern and love. Life will want to ride us rather than allow God’s vision to empower us to lead.

A year from now, we will be looking back to try to see 2020. The most important decisions we make won’t be in elections, hospitals, with our wallets or on our cell phones. The most important decisions we make will be in our hearts. If we take the time in prayer, discernment and love, we will have a vision for life as a gift from God, who sees clearly across all time and space. As the holidays mellow, take time to chat with God about how you see life. After all, it’s what Jesus would do.

“Now during those days Jesus went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God.”

– Luke 6:12