Mike 
As a child, I remember lying on my back and looking at the clouds. I would imagine different animals as they floated by or simply marvel at the mystery of these big puffy balls of moisture. You probably did the same. It was a fun, carefree thing to do, but when I got up, I moved on to something else. The clouds had no lasting impact other than a warm memory.
Unfortunately, many churches, ministries, and non-profit organizations have visions that are like those clouds. They’re nice to look at. People may imagine all sorts of things that the vision could be or do. But then they move on, and little comes of it.
Here are three things that you can learn about visions from the clouds:
- Fluffy white clouds are fun to watch as they float across the sky. But they’re thousands of feet in the air, far beyond our reach. Some visions are cast at such a high level that they feel inaccessible and completely unreachable to your staff and volunteers.
- Fog occurs when a cloud descends to ground level. It’s a cloud that you can touch, but not in a helpful way. It only produces confusion. When people repeatedly say that they don’t know what they should do or when their actions pull in different directions, it may be evidence of a foggy vision.
- Rain is the other way that we can “touch” a cloud. The cloud remains in the sky and at the same time releases part of its moisture. Rain can be inconvenient, but it is an essential part of growth. The most powerful visions are big and inspirational and at the same time are translated in tangible and meaningful ways.
