A famous negotiator once said, "Vision drives decision.'
So, if you're ever negotiating with someone, you need to create a vision to help them see why a particular decision is in their best interest.
This applies to all kinds of negotiations.
Whether you're negotiating with a spouse about where to go for dinner, a client about signing a contract, or a suicidal soul about coming off a bridge.
This comes in handy helping children make decisions too.
But having the right vision doesn't stop there.
Vision drives our own decisions as well. The ones we make every day.
This means we need to tend to our vision... and create and maintain a godly vision for our own lives...
And this takes some effort, monitoring and ongoing nurturing.
Our default vision since the Fall is full of images of self-pity, resentments, covetousness, carnal desires and so on... and it drives us to destructive choices.
But by God's grace, we can choose to live by a different vision. One shaped by truth, goodness and beauty.
And when we live by that vision, we advance God's kingdom around us...
... and do what's best for ourselves, too.
So attend to the vision driving your decisions.