This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place… Habakkuk 2:3

Perhaps one of the most persistent hindrances to effective leadership is a function of time tolerance. In a volatile environment, much value and emphasis can be placed on "JIT Decision Making" (Just in Time) or jumping at just the right time. Yet, how often our preconceptions about time as a function of vision realization handicaps us from truly realizing a certain future.

God anointed David to be king of Israel...15 years before it actually came to pass. For 15 years David was in a circuitous journey towards a very clear point in a very unclear process. Jesus was actively ministering for just 3 years before the Father's ordained time was upon Him to depart...why not swap and have David on the throne in 3 years and Jesus presently teaching for an extra 12?

It's a peculiar discipline, this learning to trust God's vision despite uncertainty as to the timeline and path. It's uncomfortable to hold in tension the dynamic of being "hands open" to changes in the plans as we know them while resolved to a vision that may seem elusive in the day-to-day.

What visions has God given you that you short-circuited out of impatience?

What discoveries have you experienced of God's faithful working out of His plan well outside your preconceived timelines and context?