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Keeping The Visualization, 
Nurture the Vision

By Kim Whiting

The last and most important way to nurture a vision is to meditate. The more we are quiet, the more room we give God to continue to guide and inspire us. After we receive a vision, the last thing we need to do is begin planning and working to make the vision happen - that takes us right back to a "To it" consciousness. God's work is already done. All we need to do is grow in the areas that need growth and keep our minds open. The rest will simply come.

I attended a visioning workshop led by Rev. Joan Steadman, minister of First Church of Religious Science in Oakland, and a true visioning "guru." The biggest question we had for Rev. Joan was how to know when to take action and when to let God guide us. She informed us that action comes naturally when are working within God's dream. When an action is God inspired, we don't have to think about whether or not to do it, the action will spring forth spontaneously and joyfully. Rev. Joan told us she had had a budding vision of a Sunday school camp. She and a friend immediately went into planning mode and with some stress and hard work, made happen what they thought was the vision, in rapid time. The only children to come to the camp were their daughters, and even they came grudgingly. God's vision can't be forced or reshaped to fit our limited expectations-well they can, but like Joan's Sunday school camp, they will probably flop. On the other side of the continuum is a story from a minister in Colorado. She and her church had a vision for a concert series and before one of the concerts, she realized too late she had forgotten to organize a crew of set-up volunteers. She handed it over to God and the volunteers not only showed up on their own, they completed the set up 24 hours before she would have planned it. This minister's message was that the Universe not only takes care of things if we let It, but does a much better job than we would have.

Visioning is powerful, but it must be adapted as a lifestyle, not used as a tool to make life the way we want it to be. Letting God live through us, allowing ourselves to be our most magnificent, takes a quiet, clear mind, a let go, let God attitude, and an absence of judgment or analysis about what is happening in our lives. When we receive a vision, we simply need to look at it and then joyfully let it go, with the knowledge it is all taken care of. Really enjoy the moment - because it is in the moment that all the good stuff is happening - Say "yes!" and nurture your vision.

Kim Whiting is a member of First Church of Religious Science, 1420 E. Harmon. For information, 702-739-8200.