Leaders see farther than do their followers. Followers focus on the immediate tasks at hand. They want to accomplish their assignments by day’s end. Managers focus on doing the same things better and more efficiently than before. But leaders must see farther. They know their people cannot remain where they are forever. They must move forward. Changes must inevitably be made. It is the future that captures the attention of leaders.
How far into the future are you looking? Are you only considering tomorrow? Next week? Next year? Or do you have a long-term view of those you are leading? What might they become ten or twenty or more years from now? What seeds, planted today, will produce giant oak trees one day?
The key is not what we want to see in the future but what God intends to do. Whether it concerns your organization, church, children or grandchildren, do you have a sense of what God is purposing for them? Have you spent time with God asking Him to share His heart with you about these important matters?
Moses spent forty years leading his people into the Promised Land. Yet Moses never saw the land himself. Or did he? God allowed Moses a glimpse not only of the geography, but of the future. God knows the future. He understands what the future results of our actions and life will be. Perhaps if we had a better sense of the future impact of our present actions, we would be more careful and intentional about what we were doing today. Take time to let God reveal to you how He intends to use your life to bless future generations.