The right vision

I was channel surfing last week and caught a portion of an episode of Oprah where the women were singing the praises of using a vision board. There was also a panellist who had a book about healing the past through forgiveness.

I had to laugh for all these are not original ideas and are deeply rooted in the Christian tradition. The ideas have just been repackaged to appeal to a wider, secular audience

Coincidentally, a cousin of mine recently asked me if I had read the best-selling book The Secret? My response to her was why should I buy the book when I already know the secret - the secret to achieving or acquiring unlimited happiness, peace, prosperity... all the good things in life?

I haven’t read the book so am not qualified to make any comments on it but can see its widespread appeal. Who among us does not want to be happy, rich, at peace, living the life we want?

Guess what, this is what God wants for every one of us and if we are able to live out our faith in congruence to our everyday life, to who (and what) we are called to be, then we will have achieved the secret.

It is as simple as that. Truth often is. It is people who complicate truth when they rationalize or accept a partial or distorted version of the truth.

We are all born wanting to be good, attracted to good. Yet, somehow the world’s definition of good connotes a lack of freedom and is seen as something not desirable as it implies living a life bound by rules and less pleasure.

Living life in accordance to God’s will when lived out of love and not duty is empowering, librating and pleasurable to the extreme.

How do we do this? First by accepting the gift of God’s love and absorbing it fully in our minds, hearts and bodies. If we are able to accept His gift of love (of "who I am" and of how much "I am loved" by Him) with openness and eagerness, then we can allow love to radiate outwards – and we can then give to others and allow others, in turn, to give back to us. And thus be able attain what we desire in life.

So I am going to find time to draw up my vision board soon for it’s a great idea to take stock of life and see if I am heading in the right direction. I will do it with one fundamental difference - by allowing God to be the centre of my vision.

As I do it, I will let the words of this old Irish hymn I love guide me:

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

* A vision board is a poster board of a collage of images that appeal to you: images of who you want to become, things you desire/want to do, places you wish to visit, etc.