Stupid Interview Questions, Part 1

When we moved to Boise, Idaho in the Spring of 2003, my luxury years of being a stay-at-home mom and a partner in my husband's pastoral ministry had ended. We had left the pastoral ministry and were starting over. I answered an ad for a part time office job and on the day of my interview, I entered a dinky business, flanked on one side of a trailer-like room with three desks, armed with the knowledge that I had great organizational skills to offer.

So I was taken back when asked: "Where do you see yourself in five years?"
"Duh, here--possibly making a meager income." But I didn't say that. I really had no goals other than living life and loving my family. I knew that wouldn't impress them. Then I remembered: "Well, I am working on a book that tells my story of a pastor's wife who learns to be her own person. I hope to publish it."

"Oh, that's nice," I think the interviewer answered and I thought: "Like what would that have to do with my ability to run this office smoothly?" Thankfully, I wasn't hired there. God had better plans. More about that in a minute.

If I had it to do over again, I think I would have gone with my gut reaction. Not the "Duh, maybe here making a living" part, but the family part. I would want to say something like: "My husband and I have a grown son with some mental disabilities. We want to help him find his way in life. Our daughter, who still lives with us, sits on my bed each night (I'm the early-to-bed person in our family) and tells me about her day. I want to nurture this precious relationship."

I might also offer this wisdom: "No one really knows where life will take them in five years. Life has many unexpected twists and turns." Just yesterday, I was reading the January-March issue of the Maranatha Devotional Guide when this profound statement caught my attention: "We need bifocal vision to pay close attention to our present situation since it can be our long-distance training." (Nancy Pritchard, March 10 devotion) Nancy was referring to Psalm 78 which speaks of God choosing David:

"He chose David, his servant
and took him from the sheep pens;
from tending the sheep he brought him
to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,
of Israel his inheritance.
And David shepherded them with integrity of hear,
with skillful hands he led them."
Psalm 78:70-72 NIV

Yes, it's true--as in David's life--that God builds on our life experiences and guides our lives in some surprising ways. I was in my twenties when, by an unexpected set of circumstances, I worked in a Montesorri school and later in a resource classroom of an elementary school. Little did I know then, that within a few years, we would adopt a preemie baby boy from India who would have special needs. Little did I know that a home-schooling movement would begin and I would have the joy of throwing my creative energy into teaching him, as well as our daughter, who would come into our lives from India and enter my school with a need to pursue some music interests. God was certainly building on my early experiences with education.

Little did I know, that as my home-schooling years came to a close, God would open up a door back then in 2003 to work with special needs children in the Boise School District. For sure, I had not known where life wold take me in five years. Now, eight years after that interview, I have "published" my book on this blog. My husband and I have had many experiences helping our son through the maze of adult life. We've added a daughter-in-law and two grandchildren to our lives! We've seen our daughter graduate from college with some aspirations of her own, which I'm sure God will gently guide as he has in my life. I now work with children on varying levels of the Autism spectrum. As a senior citizen, I attend Boise State University for practically free, so I'm working toward my education degree.

Where do I see myself in five years? I have some ideas, but we'll see.