Your life as a movie

"Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish; but he who keeps the law [of God, which includes that of man]--blessed (happy, fortunate, and enviable) is he." (Proverbs 29:18 AMP) "If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed." (Proverbs 29:18 MSG) Humanity understands the importance of having a vision for their lives.  Business owners have a vision for their business and how they would like it to grow.  People have visions for their lives, goals they set out to accomplish in their lifetime, goals for their career, and for their personal lives.  For some, this is going to college and later medical school so they can become a doctor.  For others, it's getting married and having a family of their own.  Everyone's reasoning for accomplishing their goals and visions may vary.  One person could aspire to become a doctor so they can travel into third world countries and provide health care to people in need while others become doctors because of the pay check they receive.  The point is that everyone to some degree understands the importance of having a vision for their lives.  A vision they create for themselves based on their life dreams or a vision passed on to them from family members.  For example, in a family where every male has been a doctor, chances are the next male born into the family will become a doctor. The point is everyone has a dream whether it's an original or one passed onto them. As Christians, it's just as important to have dreams, visions, and goals for our lives.  We should develop goals and visions for our lives out of our loving relationship with Jesus.  I believe God has a best case scenario for each individual’s life but He doesn't force that on each person.  Obviously, He created us with a free will which is one of the most beautiful things about God.  Even though God has this best case scenario, He still gives us room to dream on our own.   Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome."   The bible doesn't say 'I know the plans I have for you, and you better follow them or else.'  God gives us room to dream, to develop our own goals and visions for our lives with Him, goals and visions that are birthed out of our relationship with Jesus.  When we partner with God in any area of life, that area finds its origin in Him.  In other words, we don't partner with God in an area of life that is not from Him.  We don't partner with God so we can rob banks. We partner with God so we can live a valuable, meaningful life expressed through love. You have to be careful when developing a vision for your life.  Remember it's not about what you do, it's about who you are.  God doesn't need you to do anything, He needs you to be something. I spent years trying to figure this out.  Everything was about what I could do for God.  Because I focused on what I could do for Him I would get burned out very quickly with different projects.  I spent months literally thinking of different areas in life I could do something, different groups I could join or different people I could connect with.  I had good intentions but my focus was off.  I really wasn't trying to create my vision for life with God as much as I was trying to create any vision for my life without God.  I assumed if it was good it must be God.  Proverbs says it like this "There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but at the end of it is the way of death." - Proverbs 14:12 I want you to think of your life as a movie or a story. There are certain elements that work to create a really good story.  There is a protagonist in every story who is usually trying to get something.  Maybe the leading man is trying to win the love of a beautiful woman.  Maybe he is working to uncover a terrorist plot and trying to save the world before a nuclear bomb explodes.  The point is you are the protagonist in your story of life. Your life has no meaning without vision, without goals you are setting out to accomplish.  You would never sit through a movie where people were doing nothing, where there was no story line to follow, where there was no conclusion to the story.  Chances are you would walk out of a movie where there was no story, where the characters weren't developing in an effort to achieve anything.  Consider these same ideas when looking at your life.  Has your life been boring? Are you working towards any goals in life?  You need to sit down and write out the elements of your life and create a vision.  It's time to dream. It's time to set a vision for your life. Go out and buy a journal and a new pen or pencil.  I don't know about you but for me, buying a new pen always inspires me to write.  Once you've bought your journal and pen I want you to sit down and talk with Jesus.  I want you to dream with Him, write down your goals, dreams, and visions for your life.  Set a goal for the next 6 months, for the next year, for the next five years.  Decide what you want to do with your life and go after it.  Do you want to get married?  Have children? Get a new job? Buy a new car?  Climb a mountain?  Start your own company?  Travel the world?  Go on a missions trip? Graduate from college?  Whatever you want to do with your life, write it down in your journal.  Talk to the Lord about it. Ask Him to bless the vision you've created with Him.  Ask Wisdom to be with you on your journey and ask for guidance as you live an unforgettable life. I pray the Love of Jesus will lead you and guide you always and that your life would be a constant reflection of the love that He has for this world.  I pray that you would dream big and that you would follow your heart. I pray that you would live an amazing story.