On the Road to Damascus

Have you ever been caught off guard? You were living your life, the way you saw fit, but then something happened and the Lord revealed to you that you weren't going the way He intended? I think that's exactly what happened to Paul.


In Acts 9, we see the story of Paul (previously known as Saul) unfold. Saul had obtained written permission to go to Damascus and seize as prisoner anyone who was part of "the Way". "As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him," (Acts 9:1-3). While we'll soon learn that the flash from heaven was God, I like to think of the flash as Paul's "light bulb moment." I'm sure you've had at least one and seen them in cartoons; it's that point where "the light" goes off in your brain and you have an "ah-ha" moment. It's usually at that point that cartoon characters will reach up and click off the light bulb that's floating just above their heads. This was Paul's light bulb moment and in his moment, God revealed to Paul "the vision from heaven" of what he was appointed to do, (Acts 26:19). Paul's light bulb moment was all about receiving a vision from heaven.


I believe that God has a light bulb moment and visions from heaven for each of us. If it were not true, God would not have talked about it in His Word. "Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint," (Proverbs 29:18). That's what a lot of people seem to do. They are on their own "road to Damascus," going for their own reasons: to live big, live it up, make a lot of money, take great vacations, and retire some place comfortable. What if God wanted your life to be more than a fast food commercial, in which the theme song for your life was, "I did it my way"? What if He wanted it to be greater and worth more? He's able to do it. Ephesians 3:20 says, "To him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine," (emphasis mine). This verse says we won't even be able to measure how much greater it will be if we turn it over and follow His plan.


So, where do we begin? We begin where Paul began: on the road to Damascus. The place where you start is right where you are today. God doesn't want to change who you are, He wants to change your heart. He wants you to leave your fleshy desires behind, pick up the vision He has prepared for you, and follow Him.


What's the first step? Dare to dream. Again, Proverbs 29:18 said, "Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint." If you're going to plan to go somewhere, you have to have an idea about what it will look like when you've "arrived." That's what an architect does before he picks up the first piece of wood or has someone move the first handful of dirt. He lays out his blueprint. "You are the architect and building contractor of your future. Use your thoughts as an architect uses a blueprint. Think about every detail. An architect not only thinks about all the rooms in a house but also the types of windows, the size of the closets, the location of the outlets, and so on. Nothing is too insignificant. Think big and think detailed," (Trimm, Cindy, Commanding Your Morning, 29)!


I'm scared to think about my dreams; what if they're not God's dreams for my life? That's what I said to one of my best friends a couple of years ago. She encouraged me, through my tears, to confess my dreams to God and to leave them in His hands. She said that if my dreams weren't His dreams, He'd change the desires of my heart to match His, if I'd only let Him. It's gut-wrenching and scary to let go of your dreams. When it's what you've held onto for forever, it's hard to imagine that you could want anything else, or even that the "something else" could be even better than you've ever dreamed.

How could I even dare to think that what I imagine will actually come true? God did it. I once heard Dennis Rainy say, "the Bible is a blueprint for life," (Understanding and Honoring Your Wife, FamilyLife Today). He's right. If God did not want us to do it, or model what He did, I don't think He would have included it in His Word. If Dennis is right and the Bible is a blueprint for our lives, then we should follow the examples of what God did and is doing. For example, we should follow God's lead as it says in Romans 4:17, "God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were." That's what having a vision in your mind before having an example in your life is all about it. As one pastor at my church said, "Dance in advance, baby. Dance in advance." You've got to believe you have received it and walk it out. If that's what God does, I don't see any reason why we shouldn't.

After I've got it in my head, then what? Write it down and run with it! "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald [or so that whoever reads it] may run with it," (Habakkuk 2:2). Take your vision, take your dream, and run with it. Don't ever look back to see what somebody else is doing or to wonder why the rest of the world isn't keeping pace with you. Just keep running ahead "toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called [you] heavenward in Christ Jesus," (Philippians 3:14). God is a creative God, if you'll look around, you'll have to agree. God has designed something amazing for your life. Take some time, dream about it, get a picture of it in your mind's eye, write it down, and then go full force after it.