Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil. Proverbs 4: 25-27 (NLT)
The feelings of frustration started cropping up about how things were being handled at my workplace. After being there a while, I knew the processes well. There were decisions made and actions taken that didn’t make sense to me regarding my job. The different departments I closely worked with were not prioritizing our shared work as they had in the past. I expressed my irritation to a coworker who agreed, but she also reminded me “not your vision”. Being caught up in the office activities and my irritation, I had forgotten that mantra. Losing sight momentarily of my vision had made me veer off the path.
Several months ago this type of frustration cropped up. I realized that I was working in someone else’s vision temporarily. Their choices made about their vision were for their vision. When I got bothered about the choices made, I had to let it go. The statement I came up with at that moment was “Not my vision”. Saying or thinking this to myself made it easy to get back on track, let things go, and move on.
This current frustration wasn’t different from before, I was just so caught up in it. What God eventually impressed on me was “do not build a brick house in a campground”. I pictured in my mind building such a substantial structure as a brick house in a campground that is usually a place for a brief visit. I had to laugh at myself because I was there for a season. The season may last longer than expected, but it is just that, a season. It occurred to me that I was beginning to take ownership and invest too much emotional energy into a vision that was not mine. I was to work for a season in someone else’s vision before moving fully into my own. There was more to learn before moving on confident that a person’s steps are directed by the Lord…(Proverbs 20:24). The workplace frustration and irritation minimized as I refocused on God and kept walking on the path of my vision.