Don't Give Up On the Vision

Last time I wrote about doing the vision. Doing the vision is where we act on our previous praying and planning. Habakkuk 2:3 says, "'For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.'" After we begin to Do the Vision, we must understand the vision will come to pass if we Don't Give Up On the Vision.

The Lord tells Habakkuk the vision will speak, it will not lie, and encourages Habakkuk to wait for the vision because "It will surely come." It's possible to become discouraged when our vision, plans, or dreams don't go according to our timeline. The vision will rarely if ever, go according to our timeline. We will have the choice to keep running with the vision or to give up on the vision. Patience is key. Continually going to the Lord with doubts, fears, discouragements, etc., is essential and will help us grow during the waiting period(s).

A new vision from the Lord will most likely take a lot of time, a lot of work, a lot of resources, and a lot of prayers. We see this truth in the business world. According to the U.S. Small Business Association, only 70% of new businesses survive the first two years. After five years, about 50%. After ten years, about 33%. These statistics speak to the fact it's sometimes easier to give in and give up on the vision than to keep working, praying, and trusting in the Vision Giver.

Don't despise small beginnings (Zechariah 4:10). Rejoice in the small steps and the small successes. Learn from mistakes and failures. Bring these failures to the Lord and receive His input and plan. After all, if the Lord gave us the vision, we are not alone.

My brother and I inherited our childhood home after our father passed away in 2017. We rented it out to make some passive income, just as our father had done. The Friday before Memorial Day in 2021, while working on our house in DL to get ready to sell, I received a phone call about our childhood home in Willmar, MN. The caller said they planned to call the city to get the house condemned because of the property's condition.

Shock. Discouragement. Fear. Anger. Tears.

I soon realized this was an opportunity to be distracted from the vision God had given us. I brought my pain to the Lord, who gave me peace and vision to continue forward. We worked many hours with friends and family to begin cleaning the home. The house was not condemned. We lost tens of thousands in damages and lost rent, but we did not and would not give up on the vision, "It will surely come."

A few months after this incident, we sold the home to family friends. It was a good deal for us and good value for them. God worked it toward our good even though it was an awful situation, to begin with (Romans 8:28).

We were in the process of packing, preparing to move, and fixing our home in DL for nearly a year before it finally sold. It was a long process with many opportunities to give up and throw in the towel.

Final picture at our house before moving in February of 2022.

In February of 2023, it will be two years since we first started preparing for our move and one full year since the sale of our home. As of writing this, in January of 2023, we still have not purchased or moved into our new place. We are without a home, but we are not homeless. We have lived with several different friends and family and have several other offers of places to live/stay if needed. God provides, and we are so thankful to those who helped us during this weird season!

We have been given more opportunities to give up on the vision or continue to run with the vision. God has been so good and so faithful during this super-odd and long season of life. We are confident He will continue to work it all together for good.

If you're going through a difficult season, please be encouraged by our story and don't give up on the vision! God will take care of you and work things together for your good as well!

The time is now; shake the earth!

- Joel