– Ms. Kemberley Washington, CPA
No matter what, you have to have a vision for your life. I think the scripture in Proverbs 29:18 sums it up best, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” There are countless scriptures that encourage us to have a vision for our lives. It reminds us to write our vision down and it shall come to pass (Habakkuk 2:2) and to declare and decree a thing and it will be established (Job 22:28).
Grasping this concept early on in life, even before I had a committed relationship with God, I begin to write my vision for my life. I can recall outlining three specific goals and applying the word of God to each. I asked the Lord to bless me with my certified public accountant (CPA) license, obtain a job as a criminal investigator with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and help me obtain my Master’s degree and God blessed my vision.
Now that I have a committed walk with Christ, I now check with Him first to make certain my will is aligned with His will. And the great thing is I know I am on the right path! My new vision is blessed because it is aligned with His will and plan for my life!
But if you are in place wondering how to create a vision for your life, here is a method I used that has been proven to be very powerful and purposeful.
What do you love to do?
During the last few years, I found myself moving at my own speed and not God’s. Because of this, my schedule was always busy and while I was making progress, I wasn’t doing what God had purposed for my life. I automatically assumed since I was a CPA my purpose was to start a CPA firm and make tons of money. And while making money is never a bad thing, the worst thing you can do here on earth is not operate in the space God has designed for you.
Think about it. God has designed a plan tailored fit for your life. Because of this, there is no other plan that will work for you. Your tailored plan will bring forth fruit and all who witnessed it will know without a shadow of doubt you are operating in His plan and purpose. The great thing is you do not have to be afraid, because God has already gone before you to make all crooked places straight, supply all your needs and placed all the resources needed in your path to carryout His plan.
Take Inventory
You have to check in with God first. Ask Him what is His plan and purpose for your life. The great thing about your purpose is God has already put desires in your heart to carry out your purpose and His plan. As I begin to pray about my purpose and read the Purpose Driven Life, it became clear to me a change was required.
I begin to take inventory. I wrote every single thing I did on a daily basis on “Post It” notes. From serving on several accounting and business boards, running a business, writing and teaching, spending time with family and friends, I separated these daily tasks into two separate groups:
- What I love to do
- What I simply do not enjoy
I begin to make a firm commitment to only do what I love to do and move away from things that I do not enjoy.
Don’t waste your time
After identifying my purpose, which I knew it was educating and writing, I made a firm decision from this point forward I will operate in my purpose. Now let me let you know, it came with opposition and also a cut in pay, but I knew I was now operating in God’s will. Because of this decision, I have never been without, have more than before and have received numerous recognitions, which lets me know I am operating in His plan.
As I made a decision to resign from several boards and commitments I simply did not enjoy, many people did not understand my decision. Keep in mind, as you make a decision to make a transition, fulfill commitments to the end or seek other people who may be a better fit for positions you may currently hold. Do not simply resign without taking the needs of the organization to consideration. But as you move forward, make a firm commitment to do only things you love and that are aligning with God’s purpose for your life. This way God could use me as He sees fit.
Even my family didn’t understand how could I back away from a CPA business and the truth be told I didn’t either. But I continued to trust Him as He move me to a new direction and my family begin to realize my transition was no mistake at all, it is now evident it is a gift from God.
From that point of making the decision to follow God’s plan and His vision for my life, many new opportunities begin to open and people begin to witness a life that could only be orchestrated by God.
Create His Vision for You
Now being equipped with my purpose, loves and passion, I begin to create three small vision boards. The first board entitled “MY VISION” outlined my various passions for my life. I listed every passion and purpose God had given to me. I also included the scripture verse, Habukkuk 2:2 “And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.”
Next, I created the second board entitled “I WANT TO” outlining three areas – I want to be, I want to have and I want to create. Each section identified what I wanted in the next few years, specifically outlining what I wanted to create in the future and finally what I want to have. My “wants,” which aligned with God’s desires for me, included the scripture Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”
Finally, I created “MY ACTION” board. This board is probably the most important. It outlined what steps were needed to reach my vision for my life. Remember, you can have huge faith, but faith without works (and actions) is dead on arrival! Whatever you envision for your life, begin to make a plan of action to reach your goals. Bringing your vision to pass is one of the best feelings one can bear, Ecclesiastes 7:8 states, “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.”
So no matter your vision big or small, know with God all things are possible! I am a living witness!
Click Here for your Vision Board!
Kemberley Washington is a certified public accountant and author of 21 Days of Powerful Breakthroughs.
