Fred Smith was a man with an ordinary name but an extraordinary idea. He was a student at Yale when he wrote a research paper on the need for a national delivery company that could move goods as far as from coast to coast quickly. The paper earned a “C,” but Smith held onto the dream. He graduated, served a tour in the Marines, and soon bought an aviation company. In 1971, he pooled his resources with that of investors to try and realize his dream. He began in Little Rock, Arkansas, with full-page newspaper ads and TV commercials. The business nearly failed several times but by 1980 was realizing a substantial profit. Today, Federal Express (FedEx) is the industry leader, but it began in the 1960s as a college kid’s dream (some facts gleaned from http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/smi0bio-1).
When you look at others, what do you see? Do you see what they are or what they might be? What can you say and do to help them see the potential within themselves? When God looks at you, He sees the you that you might become. You should do the same, and you should do the same when you look at others.
When you have an idea, what can you see? Can you only see the downside, the negative, and the roadblocks? Or can you see past the impediments to the importance and the impact of the idea? God saw His idea of redemption and the church from eternity. His people through the ages saw that with God’s help even the most ambitious ideas could succeed. When you conceive an idea for the glory of God, do you see “I do’s” or “I don’ts”?
When you look at the church, what can you see? Can you see only what it has done in the past? Can you see its flaws and failures with ease, but fail when looking for its potential and possibilities? What do you see when you look at the elders, deacons, preachers, and members? Most importantly, when you look at yourself (you cannot spell church without “u”) what do you see? Someone powerless and pitiful, or someone with purpose and passion?
The Lord cannot use those who only dream, but He does need the dreamers. Caleb had a hope, a dream, and a vision. Now, Smith did not keep his vision a pipe dream. He invested. He risked. He struggled. But, he had to see it before he could do it. May I suggest that the same is true of us. What can you see?