It’s time for another guest blog! This one is from my incredible husband, Jon Wright. We’ve been married for over 13 years, and he is an amazing father to our four children. Jon is the Worship Pastor at Liberty Church. He has a way with words, whether it’s a teaching to encourage or a song he’s written.

A few years ago, I decided that I needed to go visit the eye doctor. I had an old pair of glasses from somewhere around the end of high school, but I very rarely wore them. That was partially because the prescription was outdated (by about 14 years), but mostly because I didn’t like them. I went in, got my updated prescription, and ordered a pair of glasses. I’ll never forget what it was like putting those glasses on for the first time. I had lived 99.9% of the last decade and a half without glasses, and I thought it was fine. Sure, I had to make a few U-turns because I couldn’t make out a street name until it was too late. And I had to ask my wife to read the Starbucks menu for me a time or two. And I fell victim to some friendly jabs and heckling from colleagues when I couldn’t read notes on the whiteboard in our staff meetings. I thought it was fine… but then I put the glasses on and saw the difference. Even though I didn’t think my eyes were that bad, I saw just how clear the world could be! The contrast was amazing!

Isn’t it great how God uses seemingly mundane moments to speak to us? One of these moments happened to me a few weeks ago. I was getting ready one morning, and I had my new pair of slippers on the floor next to me (I get a new pair every Christmas). As I knelt down to put my socks on, I happened to glance at one of the slippers, and I noticed that the inside of the sole had the letters D.F. on the inside. I couldn’t help but laugh a little, because up until that point, I had always thought it said D.E. That’s because I had really only looked at it standing up without my glasses on. It was in this very random, very mundane moment that I was struck by an invading thought. Do I do that in life sometimes? Do I live under the assumption that I’m seeing clearly when in fact, I’m just a little bit off? I can look back at moments in my life when I thought God was leading me one way, but in hindsight, I can see He was actually leading another. That can be a source of discouragement, but that’s not my intent in writing this. Another amazing thing about God is that He uses our missteps, shortcomings, and failures to grow and teach us. And all along, I believe that the ultimate lesson is to draw close to Him! As we get closer to Him, one of the many benefits is that we can gain clarity on His vision for us. I’d liken it to the experience of putting on glasses for the first time.

I read a quote this morning by P.K. Bernard:

“A man without a vision is a man without a future. A man without a future will always return to his past.”

I can personally say that I’ve experienced this in my life. I do have a vision for my life that I believe is from God! But there are times when I live or think like I don’t have a vision. Usually these times come when I’m discouraged. I look at where I am right now and think “there’s no way I can get there.” And just like Bernard says, I return to my past. The past that I return to at times is my childhood dream of being a pilot. I still love flying, and I wholeheartedly believe that one day I’ll get my pilot’s license so that I can fly recreationally. But that’s not my purpose. That’s not the primary calling for my life. So in those times when I face discouragement and I’m tempted to return to that past dream, I have to draw close to God and stir up the vision He gave. I’ve been through this cycle more times than I’d like to admit, but looking back, I can see how through it all, God has given me more and more clarity on vision for my life! It’s like getting an updated prescription. I can look back at the seasons that didn’t seem to make sense in light of where I believed I was going and see what God was doing, what He was teaching me, and how those seasons prepared me for where I am now.

So draw close to Him! Ask for vision! Ask for clarity!

James 4:8 ensures us that as we draw near to Him, He will draw close to us!

One thing that Megan does, which I love (probably because I’m a worship leader), is that she often concludes her blogs with a few songs that have spoken to her. So following her lead, here are a few:

Won’t Stop Now – Elevation Worship

“I know breakthrough is coming

By faith I see a miracle

My God made me a promise and it won’t stop now…”

Prophesy Your Promise – Bryan & Katie Torwalt

“When I only see in part

I will prophesy Your promise

I believe You God

Cause You finish what You start

I will trust You in the process

I believe You God…”

I also recently wrote a song, and I’ll be recording it very soon so I can share it with you all! But it’s called Never Out of Sight and part of the bridge says “Even in the darkest night, when hope is hard to find, I’m never out of sight, always on Your mind.”

So be encouraged in this! You may be facing a dark time, and you’ve lost sight of the vision. Remember that God is faithful to fulfill His promises. When things are unclear, trust Him in the process and speak out (prophesy) the promises He’s given! And through it all, no matter what you face, you’re never out of God’s sight, and you’re always on His mind!