I have been quiet for some time now, but it is time to start
commenting again. As I write this
particular entry we are in the height of leaf season in Northern Vermont. The
temperature is starting to fall and we turned on the heat in my house last
night. The season is undeniably beginning
to change.
The seasons are changing in other ways, too. Last Spring my secular
workplace informed our entire office that we would be closing down and all
operations would be moving to New Hampshire.
When the dust settled we found that half the staff was to be laid off,
including myself. For the third time in
twelve years I was to be looking for a new job because of a layoff.
When I began my adult working life I considered the
possibility of being laid off to be remote.
Layoffs were something that happened in mismanaged large companies and I
had no intention of going there. Then reality hit. The first time I was laid off was when I was
in college and working for the City of Lowell (Massachusetts) in the Library,
due to Proposition 2½. I was laid off
one day, and picked up the next day on another budget line item.
So, what have I learned?
First, there is no such thing as ‘security’ in this world. Everything is temporary, especially jobs, and
especially when you are working for someone else. You can mitigate the risk, but it never goes
completely away. Sooner or later you
will likely face a job loss. Second, God
will take care of you. Always.
When I was laid off this last time I went back to my office
and prayed. I thought about where I was
in life, what God had done in the past, and asked myself one crucial question, “Did
God still want me to stay in Vermont?” Strangely
enough, the answer I received came out of silence. God had previously called me to Vermont. He had NOT told me that He was done with me
here. Therefore, I knew that God would
provide me with work to enable me to stay here.
He did. Within two months of my
layoff date I had a job offer. The work
environment is ideal, the job is flexible, I ended up working for a Christian
supervisor, my job has a certain prestige to it and I work in a fertile
field.
When you go through hard times, ask God what He wants you to
do. Ask first, not last, and listen to
Him. Sometimes the answer will come even
through His silence! And know that He
will take care of you no matter the answer.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Phil 4:6 (NIV)
