Vision - HABITAT

This is the last post in a series on personal vision.  

To read the previous posts in this series, 

check out "Vision" in the topics over to the left.

"To become a holy habitation - 

To Dwell in God that He may dwell in me."

 If I want to become a holy habitation, I need to look at the values that cultivate that for me.  I want to set guiding principles that help me know whether an activity leads to this end.  I guess this is mostly set by those things that I wrote about when I was discovering my vision.  Randy recommended that we make this value/vision statement into an acronym that we could remember and communicate easily.  We may put a great deal of thought into what our vision and values are but if we don't bring it down to something we can readily communicate or remind ourselves about, it can get lost in our contemplative journals or wonderings... and we can more easily forget about it altogether.  All the work we have done becomes less practical in value for setting goals and for being proactive in our life journey rather than reactive if it is lost in long explanations. 

In light of the vision statement above, I worked around for a while and came up with the acronym, HABITAT.  It communicates the things I value most and makes up that actual habitat I would like to see in my home and life...

H onesty

A doration

B elonging

I ntegrity

T hankfulness

A rt

T rust 

Honesty - This is deeply important to me.  Looking at it now, I see that Honesty and Trust bookend the word and are quite interrelated. Integrity is dead center.  All of these three are based in Truth and Truth is what brings light and life. This is the solid foundation on which we stand.  Through the years, I taught my children that to tell the truth was most important, even - or maybe especially - when they did something wrong.  As they grew older, it was the foundation for Trust.  I told them if they were not Honest, then I could not Trust them and our relationship would break down without Trust.  I don't want broken relationships, so it is my goal to be Trustworthy and to encourage that is those whose lives I touch.  Also, walking in Integrity requires Honesty and results in Trust.  These three are so interwoven and create a life of authenticity when woven well.  This would make for a beautiful fabric of life.

Adoration - This has to do with Worshiping God Alone.  I want to love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  I want to live a life of praise to Him.  I want to be enamored by His immense Love.  I want to cherish and Adore Him with all that I am.  In order to do this, I must remind myself of who He is.  I must know His character and in order to do that I must know His word and walk with Him on the hills and valleys of this life.

Belonging - This is where I love my neighbor as it commands in the scripture.  This is a hard one for me, because I am an introvert and it's difficult for me to meet and associate with folks I don't know.  I'm growing in this.  The value is to cultivate a home and environment where people feel included and not excluded.  I want others to feel that they are accepted and loved.  I want that to be the vibe of my home and my communities. 

Thankfulness - I wrote thankfulness back in 2004, before I ever met Ann.  However, Ann brought this to the forefront of my mind through her writing and I am grateful.  Cultivating a thought life of thankfulness is one of the most healing Habits that I have ever developed.  I try make this a way of life and encourage others to do the same.

Art - This is another one that has been difficult for me, but is rooted deeply in my heart.  This is where the creative nature that God gives us is let free.  I want to be able to express the Art that God made me to live, like Emily has more recently written.  She is helping me develop this value through her encouraging words.  My friend, Aimee, has been affirming this in me for several years.  I still struggle to consider it important and to value it in the every day, but again, I'm growing.  That is the point of all this anyway.  Looking at what I value and purposefully placing it as important and setting goals to develop that habitat where it can grow.

The HABITAT I want to develop in my home and in my heart and in my life as it touches others has to do with these things.  I hold them all deeply and I wouldn't be me without them.  I am not yet what I will be - thankfully, God is still working in me to cultivate these characteristics and to weed out the ones that are not in line with His will for me.  If I think about the fabric and the tapestry analogy, I see the threads all different and yet combined together for beauty and strength.  May the Lord so weave our lives like this and allow us the wisdom to follow Him diligently. 

Do you have thoughts on vision and values that you want to share? Has this inspired you to consider what God has planned for you and how you can cultivate a life of faithfulness?  Please let me know.  I'd love to hear.