VISION: Sight. Discernment.

“They consider me to have sharp and penetrating vision because I see them through the mesh of a sieve.”—Khalil Gibran

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THE POWER OF SEEING  

According to Merriam and Webster, vision is “the act or power of seeing : SIGHT.”

It is also “unusual discernment or foresight.”

My husband has astonishing vision. We can be on one side of a lake, and miles away—not only on the other side, but also high above—he will see something.

—”Sweetie, see over there!”
—”Where?”
—”The trees up there taller than the line on their right” and he points at a specific group of trees out of thousands.
—”Ok, I see the trees”
—”Do you see that black thing to the left of those trees?”

I squint. I supposedly have 20/20 vision with my glasses, he does too, so I wonder how he can see that.

After more trying,

—”Yes, I see it,” I finally figured out the exact “address.”
—”That’s an eagle’s nest.”
—”Are you kidding me? How could you see something there in the first place, let alone know what it is?”

Well, the man has vision. At least the power of sight.

He has demonstrated that to me many times. Every time we are hiking or walking in nature, he points out all sorts of fauna, from small lizards and interesting insects to snakes.

I walk right next to him, and I never see anything. Not even a snake that could be at my feet.

—”How are you able to see those things?” is always my question.
—”Because my life, once, depended on my surroundings.”

UNUSUAL DISCERNMENT

How are the people who have the other type of vision—the unusual discernment or foresight?

What are their characteristics?

When I look at those characteristics of visionary people, I see a striking parallel to the way my husband’s eyes work:

They notice what everyone else misses.

Just as he spots a distant eagle’s nest, visionary people scan the horizon and catch the critical details that the rest of us completely walk past.

They see a clear picture where others just see a blur.

Hubby can pinpoint a tiny speck miles away and know exactly what it is, just like a visionary looks into the distance and clearly sees a possibility that remains invisible to everyone else.

They don’t just see it themselves; they help you see it too.

I am often completely blind to what is right in front of me until my husband guides my eyes, points out the landmarks, and gives me the exact “address” so that I can finally see it myself. A leader would do the same.

They don’t get distracted by the noise.

My husband’s ability to scan among thousands of trees and stay locked onto one specific point is exactly how visionary people stay focused on the the vision, refusing to let the clutter around them get in the way.

I know there will be many more times my husband will point out something flying over my head that I simply can’t see.

Do you have the power of sight? The unusual discernment? Both? None?