Do You Have Sight, But No Vision?

Helen Keller was asked, "Is there anything worse than blindness?" She answered, "Oh, yes. A man with sight and no vision."
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Men who enjoy being providers for their families have vision. Kings have vision. 

• They look ahead. 
• They give direction. 
• They see what's coming. 
• They determine what to do next. 
• They take the lead. 

First and foremost, a great man will have vision. They'll see the big picture. They'll understand what's out there, over the next hill, and know what to do and where to go next. 

Some men climb high mountains, ride raging rivers, ski steep slopes, etc. 

But that's NOT what we're talking about here. 

We're NOT talking about the next awesome activity or experience with the family. 

We're talking about men having vision to lead others. 

A man must:

• project; 
• think ahead;
• imagine the future;
• look to the horizon; and 
• chart the best course for others to take. 

This is leadership. 

The King in Every Man

The king in every man is always thinking and looking forward, planning for the future, and providing direction. 

Food, clothing, and shelter are relatively easy to provide. Having a awesome activity with the family takes little thought or heart. Any man can throw the kids and wife in the car and go somewhere fun. That's easy. 

But What Really Matters in Life

But what really matters in life are not the easy things that we can do and see, but those things that are unseen. It's the unseen world, the spiritual world, the love of others, peace in our hearts, the joy in life, where men should must be master providers. 

Master Providers

It is written that we should not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are unseen. The things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. Things such as:

• character;
• honesty;
• courage;
• spirit;
• integrity;
• honesty;
• discipline; and 
• loyalty.

These things are not seen, but great men possess them, provide them, and teach them (2 Corinthians 4:18).

In this article, you'll learn how the measure of a man is the spiritual and physical health of his family. And for a man's family to be healthy, he has to have vision. 

In 2007, I moved my family from Pennsylvania to Colorado. We sold the house, gave away all of our possessions to our neighbors, put a mattress in my cargo van, threw the kids in, and took off to our new adventure. 

We left what was a comfortable life and set off across a vast country, right through the St. Louis Arch, just like the early American settlers did as they moved West into undiscovered country. Those brave folks, riding in their wagons, could not see all of the dangers ahead. They couldn't even see over the next hill. They didn't know when their next good, hot meal or cold drink of water would come. 

In order to survive, the men leading those explorers had hope, believing, and vision. 

A Man's Vision is His Family

At the heart of a man's vision is his family. Look at your family. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Where is your family going? 
• What's the destination? 
• How are you all going to get there? 
• What lies over the next hill for your wife? 
• What's coming at your child? 
• Your kid is smart, but what happens when they're in a place they've never been before. They have no idea what's really going on and what they're going to be exposed to.

Man, King, Provider, Leader

My family depends on me to set the course, give direction and take the lead. And, again, I'm not talking about scheduling the next cool ski run, camping trip, or awesome activity, dude. 

No. I'm talking about the big picture for your family. 

I've Got Their Backs

No matter what's ahead, storms, floods, fires, perils, the unknown, I've got them. I've got their backs. They can count on me. In every situation, I'll be there for them. No matter what. I'll never leave them. And I'll always know what's ahead. At any moment, I know:

• what my family is doing;
• what we're going to do; and 
• how to do it.

Rest assured. 

How to Measure a Man

You can measure a man by the spiritual and physical health of his family. Stu Weber, in his book Tender Warrior, says that a measure of a man is the spiritual and emotional health of his family. A man provides his wife a loving bond that does not break, raises his sons with character and tenderness and his daughters with confidence and life energy. 

You can tell a man has no vision, no leadership, when his family is lost, wild, struggling, sickly, just a bit "off," and has lost its way. 

A Pro-visionary Man

• A pro-visionary man asks his wife where their marriage will be in 5, 10, 20 years from now. 
• A real man asks himself how he can build up his wife's emotional foundation. 
• A loving man teaches his daughter about self-confidence before she moves into puberty. 
• A caring man teaches his sons about sex and love before it's too late. 
• A thoughtful man thinks about preparing the for those things his kids will encounter as they grow up. 
• A smart man manages his career and family time wisely. 
• A spiritual mans teaches his children life lessons every day.
• A joyful man thinks about what type of grandfather he'll be for his kids' kids. 

5-Year Plan

• When was the last time you developed a 5-year plan for your family? 
• What short- and long-term goals have you shared with your wife? 
• What have you communicated to your kids about the amazing opportunities and choices they will have? 
• When was the last time you worked on your family's spiritual goals as hard as you work at your job?
• How many hours do you spend on building up your marriage relationship in contrast to the hours you spend on work?

Life is Short

You don't have much time, man. Life's short. Put on your big girl panties. Like now!

The future is soon approaching. The kids grow up so fast. Your ages rises so quickly. The years pass by so fast. What you think is a long road ahead is actually, in reality, very short. We are given a gift to live on this Earth for a just brief moment in time. Don't get preoccupied with life-draining things-to-do lists, not matter how totally-f'n-awesome they seem to be (at the time). Most of what you think is important right now, just really isn't. 

STOP.

Stop. Think. Think ahead. See. Set your thoughts and eyes ahead. Prepare. Lead your family. 

Develop Vision

To help develop a sense of vision in yourself, respond to the following:

• Are you a man with vision?
• Are you comfortable in being a leader of your family?
• Who do you know that has vision? Ask that man out for a burger and beer, and enjoy the discussion about being a man and a provider. 
• Ask your wife about where she wants to see the family go. Talk about where each of your children can go in their lives. 
• Discuss how you and your wife can collaborate better in providing for the family and taking everyone where they want to be in their lives, socially, economically, geographically, emotionally, and spiritually. 
• In what ways do you look ahead for your family? How do you give your family direction? 
• If you asked your wife and kids about how you've built in them a sense of the future, what would they say?
• Ask your friends if they focus on the seen or unseen things of the world?
• Do you have any friends with sight, but no vision?
• Discuss with your friends how healthy your family seems to be. Listen to what they say.

Conclusion

Most men have sight, but no vision. What's yours? A measure of a man is the spiritual and physical health of his family. How's your family? A great man, like a king, must have vision for those he leads. Take some time, right now, to stop and think about how you're leading your family. If you need help, get with a buddy.