I recently began reading We Who Wrestle With God, Jordan Peterson’s latest book. The first chapter explores the opening chapters of Genesis, offering profound insights into the nature of humanity, leadership, and vision.

In the Genesis creation story, mankind is described as being made in the image of God. This concept carries several implications, but one that Peterson emphasizes is our capacity to continue God’s creative work—confronting chaos (potential), creating order (casting vision and bringing it to life), and naming and subduing, much like Adam in the creation account.

I’ve encountered variations of this idea before, but one aspect Peterson highlights struck me in a new way. It has led me to consider its implications for calling, ministry, leadership, and life in general: We have both the capacity and the responsibility to confront chaos—just as God’s Spirit hovered over the primordial waters—and to bring order and vision into being.

Rethinking Vision as Possibility

As a leader, I’ve often wrestled with the expectation that leaders must possess and articulate a clear vision. Perhaps my struggle stems from the belief that vision requires absolute certainty. Reading Peterson’s thoughts, however, I realized that vision can be understood in a different way—one that resonates more deeply with me: vision as possibility.

Possibility is dynamic. It leaves room for exploration, for uncertainty, for faith. Peterson captures this beautifully:

“We cast our visions upon the waters and bring into being, through our affinity with the Logos (through exploration, imagination, thought, and speech), the habitable world…” (pp. 31-32).

This perspective reframes vision as something brought to life through faith in Christ, using the tools of exploration, imagination, thought, and speech. In this light, certainty becomes irrelevant—what matters is the upward aim, the pursuit of what God calls us to. This echoes the truth of Proverbs 16:9:

“A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬.

The Challenge of Leadership

Leading and confronting the future is daunting. The weight of responsibility, the uncertainty of outcomes, and the fear of failure can be overwhelming. Yet, we are faced with a choice:

Will we step forward in faith, embracing the responsibility of leadership? Or will we shrink back, avoiding the challenge and, in doing so, miss the full potential of our calling?

Peterson presents these two paths with stark clarity:

“Perhaps you face all that possibility in fear because your circumstances are too chaotic—complex beyond your competence (or so you fear). Perhaps that is, in turn, a consequence of the slings and arrows of fate—but possibly a function of your own inadequacy, pride, arrogance, proclivity to avoidance and deception, and, subsequently, resentment.” (pg. 31)

Or…

“Perhaps by contrast, you are enthusiastic, as you perceive both possibility in the positive sense and a traversable pathway toward just that. Maybe this is because you were properly encouraged to face, confront, and explore; to challenge yourself—and because you took that responsibility on to yourself, voluntarily, and made it a habit of attention and action.” (pg. 31)

So, what choice will you make?

Reference

Peterson, J. B. (2024) We who wrestle with God: Perceptions of the divine. Portfolio/Penguin