Aiming High = Clear Vision
The first rule of defensive driving is “Aim High in Steering”. This is the most important rule and if this rule is violated too often, or just once at the wrong time, the rest of the rules won’t matter… because you will have probably died in a very loud and fiery crash.
Aiming high is simply about having clear vision. The rule suggests that when driving one should look as far down the road (in your lane) as possible. The result of this action is that you are more likely to keep your vehicle between the lines as you progress down the road. Our driving gets a little shaky when all we do is look at what is immediately in front of us. When we take our focus off what is farther down the road, we will tend to make sudden movements that will take us out of our lane and into possible danger.
In leadership and in ministry, if we take our focus off the vision and only look at what is immediately in front of us we will begin to make sudden movements (decisions) that take us outside our “lane”… and into possible danger.
What is the vision of your church or organization?
Do you make decisions based on that vision alone… or do you look at what is right in front of you and make the quickest and easiest “movement” to put that situation behind you? It is a question all leaders must ask themselves… every time… when a decision is necessary. The smallest decision that doesn’t line up with the vision will eventually take you out of your lane and when it does you are in dangerous territory.
Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish“. The ESV translates the verse, “Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint”.
The point for us in leadership (and if you are in ministry, you are in a leadership role, no matter your place on the org chart) is that we better know the vision and stick to the vision because if we don’t we not only endanger ourselves but it will put the life and ministry of those we lead in jeopardy.
Where vision comes from and how it is communicated is another post for another time. Let’s just say if you don’t know the vision you have a serious issue and you need to seek clarity today. You cannot get somewhere if you don’t know where you are going.
By the way, even if you know the vision and are locked into it there are things and people out there that will try to knock you out of your lane. That is what we’ll look at tomorrow in Rule #2.
