The Myth of Security

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)