by Panom Top
My family and I were recently at our local shopping centre. We usually go there to buy our groceries. This time we went there to buy school materials for our eldest son, who started Prep this year.
On our way back home, as we were coming out of the shopping centre, I saw a young man about 16-18 years old. The young man was wearing a black T-shirt with three words printed on it. What I saw stopped me for about 10 seconds and caused me to meditate with a deep sense of sadness. The words on the T-shirt were, “VOID OF VISION”, all in capital letters.
All kinds of questions were popping into my head. What possible reason would make a young person walk around wearing a shirt with such a negative description. “What’s going through the mind of this young person?”, I wondered.
To me, I usually see young people as those who are full of dreams for the future – dreaming about the things they would want to accomplish and who they want to become.
As I thought more about the description, I realised this young man was not alone. In fact, his T-shirt description was a common sentiment among many young people today who roam through life lacking vision about their future.
Multiple studies have found depression and anxiety to be linked to lack of vision, a growing trend among young people in the world today.
What about you? Do you have a vision for your future? Or are you just roaming through life lacking vision? Do you understand your purpose in life?
Macmillan dictionary defines “vision” as the “ability to think about and plan for the future”.
Having a clear vision allows a person to look at the future with an end goal or destination in mind. It helps us to live a purposeful and meaningful life.
A wise king penned these words of wisdoms nearly 3000 years ago in Proverbs 29:18: “Where there is no vision, people perish…”
As a young person in God’s Church, God has given you the opportunity to be a part of His Church and ultimately so that you can be in His Spiritual Family. His vision for you is to become a king (leader) and priest (teacher) in His Kingdom ruling with Jesus Christ.
Do you have this vision as part of your life? Is it real to you?
Here are some tips to aid you in achieving this goal.
#1 Capture the vision:
Make sure you have the vision clearly in your mind. I recommend that you read one of the Church booklets on the topic titled “What is the Meaning of Life”.
It will give an insight of God’s purpose for you.
#2 Spend your time in accordance with your vision:
Today, a lot of young people see time as something to be wasted on things such as social media and video games. However, time is the most valuable commodity you have in life. Your time is literally your life. Make sure you spend your time wisely that it reflects your vision for your future. Have SMART goals (an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely).
#3 Build strong habits
In relation to how you use your time, make sure you build strong habits that align with your vision – things that will enable you to achieve your goals and dreams.
Make sure you pray daily, study your Bible and think about what you have read.
Having a clear vision is not only important for living a meaningful life here and now, but it is also vital for your future in God’s family.
Therefore, it is unwise and even dangerous to roam through life “void of vision” like the description on the young man’s T-shirt.
Sadly, today we are seeing a generation of young people who are lacking vision for their future and are consequently suffering mental health issues.
Thankfully, God has provided you and me with a clear vision of what the future holds for us and for the rest of mankind. Let’s use our time and energy to fulfill our purpose and maintain a bright vision for the future.
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