From the Editor
Marshall Shelley
July 1, 2000
Vision isn't "one size fits all." It's a custom fit.
Once upon a time, a leader decided his family needed the best of what he had to offer, which he assumed was his leadership. And leadership equals vision, right?
Because he'd been raised in a home with a passion for reading, he had a similar vision for his family: "We are a group that honors God by being people of the Word and of words." Sort of catchy, he thought. He envisioned evenings spent reading and telling stories—expanding the mind, enthralling the children and their guests.
The dream shaped the home atmosphere and family budget. Bookshelves lined bedrooms.
For a while, the vision fit. Child 1 loved to read, listened carefully to stories, and developed a knack for telling stories with great detail.
But Child 2 complicated the picture. Child 2 didn't have Child 1's interest in books. Child 2 was a natural athlete, developed into an outstanding gymnast, and while tolerating the reading-and-story culture, wasn't inclined to be literary. Family conversations shifted from books to balance-beam routines and flyaway dismounts.
Child 3 complicated the picture further. Child 3 was born with serious mental disabilities. Reading would never be within Child 3's experience; even learning to speak would prove impossible. Child 3 led the family into another world—medical centers, physical therapy, support groups for families of children with disabilities.
Question: what takes priority—the vision or the people? For the family above (with whom I'm, uh, somewhat acquainted) telling those members who weren't "aligned with the vision" to find another family simply wasn't an option.
No, the vision needed to be expanded to include the new realities—the needs of all those ...
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