Write the Vision and Make it Plain

This is my New Year’s Resolution scripture, Habakkuk 2:2-3. 

Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets. That he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it. Because it will surely come. It will not tarry.

Statistics show that you are 42% more likely to achieve written goals than those goals that are not written. When a goal is written it compels you to think it through more carefully. It encourages you to be more specific. The writing also has an immediate brain-to-hand connection. The writing and regular rereading create an immediate motivation to achieve. Writing the goal often compels you to create a plan to achieve the goal.

A significant point about this scripture is that the vision is written plainly not just for the writer but also for the reader who will carry forth the vision. As an estate planning attorney, I take the time to encourage the families, that I am privileged to work with, to create a vision that moves beyond the immediacy, beyond the next generation. We are to create visions that are multigenerational. We are to leave an inheritance for our children’s children. That inheritance should be more than just financial. But clearly a financial inheritance can be significant. We must realize that a financial inheritance can have either a positive or a negative impact depending on the beneficiary. 

The vision must be comprehensive. The vision needs to be bigger than anything that one has capacity to complete independently. It needs multiple people for completion. As a result, it should have impact on others as well. Without planning the impact is often negative and traumatizing. 

Our vision should build on the foundation of the past if there is one. If not, there should be a foundation laid that successive generations can build upon. We can be standard bearers for our children and our children’s children to raise higher. Our visions can elevate our children, whether the children are biologically, spiritually or our community children, by giving them the resources and the tools to build their best lives or strategic alignments for partnerships for greater impact. 

Our education, experience and values enable us to provide wisdom and inspiration for the next generations. Our responsibility is to raise the next generation up in the way they should go, so that when they are old, they will not depart from it. However, we should not just give them the words, but also the resources and the lessons.

I am mindful of the prodigal son who was given an inheritance that he claimed too soon. An inheritance claimed too soon will not be blessed. (Proverbs 20:21). It is given too soon if the maturity isn’t there to effectively manage. It is given too soon if the necessary support isn’t provided. 

We each can create a vision that we can share with our circle of influence. Whether we have substantial resources or limited resources, we have capacity to teach the next generation from our lessons learned. Yet, that requires intentional, strategic planning that is written plainly so that those who read it can run with it.

The Life and Legacy Counselors would be honored to work with you to shape your vision for your next generation.