"Vision is a clear mental picture of what could be fueled by the conviction that it should be. Vision is a preferred future."

(Andy Stanley)

The Discipline of Showing Respect
Being respectful of others does not come naturally. It is something that has to be taught.  It was the Reverend Billy Graham who said, “A child who is allowed to be disrespectful to his parents will not have true respect for anyone.”  In this regard I was fortunate to have been taught respect in my childhood.  I remember on one occasion when I was protesting to my father about something my mother wanted me to do.  In my frustration  I referred to her as “she.” He made it crystal clear, right there and then, that I was never to refer to her as “she” but only as “mom” or “mother.”  Throughout my childhood, he insisted that I open the car door for her, never precede her into a room and never begin eating until mom had raised her fork. His training really did teach me to be respectful of others.

Attitudes of respect that we fail to learn growing up at home come more harshly when we enter the real world.  For some of us respect was taught to us by a teacher or coach, some learn it in the military and some from their first boss.  No matter the teacher, respect has to be learned.

Peter Drucker suggested that two very important questions to answer
in seeking to discover your God-given mission are:
1. What have you achieved in the past? What are you really good at?
2. What do you care deeply about? What are you passionate about?

Nine questions to ask yourself concerning your passions.  Here are the final three.
7. Do you have a God-given vision about doing something for the Kingdom of God or for others in the future? If so, what is the vision?
8. Describe your "ideal life."  What would it look like?
9. What kind of things do you hate doing, things that drain you?

Nine questions to ask yourself concerning your passions.  Here are the next three.
4. When you are dreaming about the future and what you would like to "do someday" what is that dream?
5. What things have you done in the past that really excited you?
6. What things have you done in the past that you excelled at?

Nine questions to ask yourself concerning your passions.  Here are the first three.
1. If you could do anything you wanted to do, what would it be?
2. What are the things that really should be done to improve life?
3. What are the things that you feel compelled to do or see done?