by Dr. R.A. Weigel, EDD, CCC, CLPC, and President of CCNI
Last month I wrote Visioning 101, and this is a continuation of those ideas.
Many people want God to “tell them what to do in life” as if they just got a phone call. But seeking first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33) can happen while doing many different types of professions, occupations, and jobs. So, while the Lord gives inspiration and provides many ideas about the future, there is still a need for your client to reflect and explore what they are passionate about, what feels right in their spirit, what aligns with their natural talents, and what will provide for them and their family’s needs so they can continually seek the kingdom of God – first.
There are times when your client’s vision is framed by dissatisfaction and conviction. Their passion comes out not as something that could be done but something that should be done. There is a perceived need, gap, conviction, problem, or issue that needs to be solved or remedied, and their vision is to meet that problem head-on and fix it.
Some simple questions to help your client frame their vision are:
- What do you really want for yourself?
- What do you see for your future?
- What will give you the greatest impact for helping and serving others?
- What will give you the greatest sense of accomplishment?
- What will be something that when you stand before Christ at the end of time, you’ll be proud to say, “Yes Lord, I’d love to tell you about what I did during my life.” 2 Corinthians 5:10 (NLT) – For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.
Yet, few people can answer those questions quickly. Most people need more time to explore a vision for their future and that takes great coaching framed specifically for overcoming obstacles and creating a catalyst to help them keep going when times are tough. Coaching someone into their personal vision is an important part of your coaching because you’re helping them to focus their efforts while creating a purpose that becomes an ongoing measurement for their life because fulfillment comes when people live their lives with purpose.
Successful Christians must see the future while still living in the present. They must see what “can be” while still confronting the brutal facts of today. Successful Christians use their talents and skills toward bringing their personal vision into reality which empowers their work and their efforts. Successful Christians recognize that what they see for their future is always possible with the Lord’s help. A godly vision energizes everything that needs to be done.
Marshall Goldsmith authored a book called, What Got You Here – Won’t Get You There. The premise for the book is that no matter what role, job, or position in life someone has right now, their current roles are based solely on their current abilities, knowledge, and skills. Anyone who wants something different from “right now” will have to become a different person through additional knowledge, skills, training, and overcoming areas of their life that may be holding them back. What Goldsmith does not include, but in my humble opinion is essential, is that they also must improve their spiritual perspective. Using the title of his book and changing it slightly; The spiritual perspective you have today for the roles or responsibilities you currently have – won’t be enough to get you to where you want to be in the future.
The Lord expects his people to keep growing in him, not to remain stagnant. In addition, the Lord is not going to open the doors to a new/different position, job, or responsibility for anyone who is not spiritually ready to handle the pressures, responsibilities, or weight of the role. So, consideration for spiritual growth is a major factor in the movement toward your client’s personal vision and you may need to be direct in your approach to help them recognize that.
It’s highly likely that your client won’t be fully cognizant of everything it’s going to take in order for their vision to come to fulfillment. That’s okay. Your job is to keep working with them, keeping their vision in mind, and help them work through their waiting period, or trial in the wilderness, until they become fully aware of what they have to do to make their vision become reality.
As a Christian coach, you have a responsibility to help every person you work with to have a vision for their future. After all, God is in the visioning business and you want to say, just like the young Jesus said when his parents found him talking to the teachers at the temple, (Luke 2:49), “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”
Rich Weigel has an extensive background in leadership with over twenty years leading school districts. In addition to establishing his new business as an Executive and Leadership coach, he was an adjunct professor for Olivet Nazarene University providing instruction for Strategic Leadership at the doctorate level. Rich has served as CCNI’s President since January 2020. He can be reached at proedcoach@gmail.com.
