Damon Nailer: The Value of Vision

The most general meaning of the word vision is “to see” and “have sight” which normally pertains to seeing concrete objects.  However, in a broader context, it means being able to see mental, pictorial images of reality or possible, potential concepts and occurrences that may occur in the future.  When this happens while we are asleep in an unconscious state, we call it a dream.  When this happens while we are awake in a conscious state, we label it a vision.  Therefore, we can consider a dream to be a subconscious vision and a vision to be a conscious dream.

Amazingly, with vision comes three forms of sight: foresight, insight, and oversight.  Foresight helps us to see ahead.  We can envision things occurring or manifesting before they actually materialize.  I find this to be a critical trait necessary for planning and preparation.  Insight enables us to see beneath the surface.  This is considered perception and discernment which is definitely needed when problem solving, making decisions, and interacting with various people in a variety of circumstances. Lastly, oversight empowers us to provide management and supervisory care to others.  The greater the foresight and insight, the greater the oversight or capacity to oversee people.  I am truly aware that this is a mandatory characteristic for a leader because to effectively lead, he or she will have to see ahead for many people (foresight) as well as be familiar with their dispositions, hidden verbal cues, nonverbal cues, passions, and dislikes (insight).

So why is having vision so valuable and important?  The wise King Solomon made this statement, “Without a vision, the people perish”.  All of us need to possess a mental picture of our goals and ambitions because it gives us a sense of purpose while providing direction to us as we navigate through life’s journey because just as we need to know our destination when traveling, we need to know exactly where we’re trying to go and what we are attempting to achieve.  As we travel by automobile, utilizing a map as our visual helps us to determine which roads or highways we must use. Likewise, while traveling through life, visualizing our goals helps to determine the plans as well as the procedures we must implement to obtain them.  Additionally, a vision or dream is vital because the solutions to many problems and the answers to many situations won’t be obvious but will often require vision that can see underneath the surface and perception which can feel, judge and understand what is symbolic or beneath the surface.   Here is a personal, true story to demonstrate the value of vision.

A few years ago, I misplaced my wallet.  When I discovered it was gone, I went into a frenzy.  My family and I turned our house upside down and searched every place we had visited the day prior to it disappearing.  But, it was to no avail.    Of course, as time passed, I began to really get worried.  Since I couldn’t do anything else, I decided to go to bed for that night and if I didn’t have any luck the next day, I would call and cancel all my debit/credit cards.  As I slept, I dreamt that my wallet was in a basket on top of the refrigerator.  Well, while we were searching, I vividly recalled looking there but it wasn’t there.  As I thought about it, I realized the dream was symbolic.  I was getting a divine prompting and then, my revelatory light bulb went off.  I realized that yes, my wallet was in a basket- the laundry basket.  I immediately went to the laundry room and began to remove the clothing from the laundry basket and underneath them was my wallet.  I rejoiced and thanked God for the dream (subconscious vision) because it provided the solution to my dilemma.

Can you think of experiences with visions or dreams in your life that were significant to certain events or outcomes?  Do you ever take the time to visualize your future?