where are you coming from and where are you going

I was reading Genesis last night and the story of Sarai and Hagar. Sarai had gone ahead of God's plan to provide a child for Abram and gave him her servant Hagar as a wife. Hagar became pregnant and found herself despised by Sarai. Sarai then sent her away. In the desert, Hagar encounters an angel that asks her two important questions... Where are you coming from? and Where are you going?

They are good questions. They are questions that I ask at work on a regular basis. Where have you come from? (or essentially, what brought you here?) and Where are you headed? (essentially, what's next for you?) The questions aren't just curiousity. They are questions of direction, growth, and focus. By seeing where we've been we see what we've learned, what we've experienced, how we've made mistakes, what we've done well. By thinking about where we are going we can make a plan, find a focus, dream big, or face the difficult as in Hagar's case.

Good questions. I have more rumbling in my head about this but it is off to work I go... More will come later :)