Vision Questing

Few people set goals and then hold themselves accountable to those goals.  I don’t think I’m alone when I say that I’m pretty lenient with myself.  I let myself slide because it’s easier than taking the high road.

If few people set goals for their lives then fewer people ask God what their goals should be.  In Isaiah, it says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.”  If my ideas are good, they are probably miles away from God’s idea of the direction I should take for my life.

In a class I took, the mentor talked about goals as the vision I have for my life.  She shared with us a quote from the book Grandfather by Tom Brown Jr, “A man not living his vision is living death.”  If it's “my vision” then it represents “my goals.”  But if it’s a vision from God it’s always a “call to action.”  And running from a call is like Jonah and the whale.  The call doesn’t go away, the called one does.

A “call to action” or “vision” is a special kind of goal because it comes from the mind of God.  Let’s talk about people who have received a call.

Abraham received a call in Genesis 12, “Get thee out of they country and from thy kindred and from thy father’s house unto a land that I will show thee…”  His submission showed that he was open to receiving further knowledge from the mind of God.

Moses and the Burning Bush (Angel not shown)

Moses records his call in Exodus 3.  He went into the wilderness and an angel appeared to him in a burning bush.  When God called, Moses said, “Here am I.”  And after hearing the mind of God, Moses said, “Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh…?”  He questioned his qualifications and God basically said, “I will go with you.”

Stalking Wolf received his call in the wilderness too.  From the book Grandfather, I quote again, “He told Grandfather that the vision and the spirit had guided him toward a path he must take.  To follow his vision he must first spend ten winters training to become a scout, one of the most powerful positions in the tribe.  He must then abandon this path for another ten winters and seek the path of a shaman and healer.  And finally, Coyote told him, he would have to leave his people and wander alone for sixty more winters, seeking vision and knowledge, until his vision was reality.”  p.11

A vision quest is not a thing for the ancients only.  A vision quest can be done by anyone who desires to receive a call and is prepared to accept it.  It requires the use of all your sensing abilities — observing, feeling, reasoning, listening and submitting to the mind of God.

So I was in the wilderness this past month and I left my kids in the care of my husband and went on a vision quest.  I wandered into the wilderness and and I asked God to help me understand what He wants me to do.  For some, this takes hours of pondering and prayer.  I was limited to two hours.  I received my vision in the last five minutes of the two hours and it was only part of the mind of God.  Like Abraham, God said *essentially* “I will show thee” the land, but for now, know that I have been preparing you for a great work.  I was blessed and strengthened by receiving this “vision” and I consider the thoughts God gave me to be sacred.

I encourage you to consider the possibility that God has a mission for you to fulfill on this Earth and that you can receive a “vision” of it if you prepare and ask in a place that is conducive to feeling and listening.  To read more about vision questing, check out this article at School of Lost Borders entitled, What is a Vision Quest and Why do one?