When I look back on my career in management, I can remember using the line “where do you see yourself in five years” as not only a part of yearly reviews, but also in the interview process. In the review process, it served as a tool to not only find out an individual’s outlook for the future, but also see if their goals or focus had changed. You see, as we get older, sometimes our goals shift and it is a good thing to occasionally look at our focus in a new light. Now, for a person in an interview, this question can be a bit of a setup because I used it as an opportunity to see if the candidate did their homework. I was hiring for entry level positions, and I was focusing on succession planning for the future. If the candidate did their homework, they would know what things would be available to them and what it could lead to. I giggle at the thought of me asking that question in the fall of 2019. What would you say to a person if they replied, “I see myself sitting at a kitchen table in pajama bottoms and a shirt and tie with a fake background answering questions in a virtual meeting at my home”? How about if the answer was this, “I see myself retired, doing projects around the house, listening to the Guess Who, and sipping coffee”?
To tell the truth, I was getting rather tired of asking people “where do you see yourself in 5 years” because it was usually the same rehearsed answers that changed like the sands on a beach. I do have my own plans for the future and am working towards setting up for retirement, but I have come to the realization over these past few weeks while working with a couple of Padres in Cold Lake, that retirement is only a small aspect of my future. You see, while Chaplain Tony and I were chatting about the next few years, and I shared with him some of my thoughts about moving forward into the “Golden Years”, he pointed out that we never truly retire from our calling. This got me thinking about the future in a whole new way. You see, I was making plans for the future, but I was not leaving room for His will in my life. We are all messengers of the Truth, and we need to remember this is a life calling, not just something for a time. This bit of scripture popped out at me and has changed my way of thinking. It is not about where we see ourselves in five years but rather where we see ourselves when the race has been run.
I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.
So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it. Phil 3:12-16 Msg
So please do, go forward and make the plans, and when you are asked about where you will be in the next five years, be confident in saying that you will be serving the Lord in whatever capacity He sees fit. I wonder how that would go over in a job interview? Maybe I will give it a try should I be asked that at some point in time, it could be a rather interesting conversation starter. Remember, in all things praise His name, give thanks for the time He has provided us and serve Him with all you are until the day the race is over and He calls you home. That is where I see myself in the next five, ten or twenty years.
The Main Avenue service will be broadcast online (see links below), or you are more than welcome to join us in person at 402 Main Ave. W in Sundre, AB.
Blessing,
Our Mission “To live the love of Christ”
