Recently, I tweeted, “Christian leadership isn’t about attaining your vision, it’s about helping others reach God’s vision for them.” To my surprise, several people pushed back by responding that there is only one vision, the “Jesus vision.” I began to wonder if some people thought Jesus provided a one-size-fits-all vision.
Here are three lives you might recognize from Christian history. After you read them, I invite you to comment: Do you think there’s only one vision worth casting?
Agnes of Albania
Agnes lived entirely within the 20th century. She was born just before World War I, which encompassed all of her native Europe. As an 18-year-old, she found a peaceful place in Ireland where she could learn English and draw closer to God. At 26, she left Europe for Central Asia where she settled for the rest of her life. Not long after she arrived in Asia, World War II occupied nearly everyone’s attention—except Agnes. She lived far away from most of the war, but she witnessed a quieter devastation: Her adopted city suffered great famine and mass starvation. She remained well-fed and safe behind the walls of the Catholic school where she worked as a teacher.
The religious walls could not hold her for long. She left the school and lived in the city, helping those who suffered from violence or poverty. There, in Calcutta, India, she became a beggar herself, pleading for medical supplies and the resources to feed others. Other women rallied to her and together they established a lasting organization to love the “poorest of the poor” in the name of Jesus, sometimes doing nothing more than cradling dying people in their arms, so they would not die alone.
As the decades mounted, her organization grew and eventually Agnes caught the attention of the world, which gave her the Noble Peace Prize in 1979, which she accepted under the name of Mother Teresa.
