Did you just lose your job ... or is there greater significance to the event?

This article is intended to change your perspective on the loss of employment or other career set backs you may have experienced.The experts tell us that the loss of employment is a significant cause of stress. I am sure you will agree this is true. You now understand this stress first hand. I, too, have experienced it more than once. Yet, a stress response does not have to be your only response. Your response is, in part, a function of your point of view about the event.

There are many ways the loss of employment can be viewed. Let us restrict our discussion to two (2) ways in this article. They are opposite points of view that can be labeled “man’s viewpoint” and “God’s viewpoint.”

Let’s first discuss “Man’s Viewpoint.” In the eyes of the world the loss of employment is a catastrophic loss … a bad thing. It is a cause for alarm, even panic. This can lead to an emotional response which includes “this is unfair” and “I am the victim.” You might even feel this is a “conspiracy” against you. You may even begin to imagine personal financial ruin and the loss of prestige in the community. But you don’t have to feel this way!

The second is “God’s Viewpoint.” As in many things, I have found that God’s take on my job loss was very different from mine. The same may be true for you. In the eyes of God the job loss may be an indication that you completed the requirements God had for you in the old job. This implies that the change in employment will be a means to advance your career to the next level. It is an indication that God is pleased with your progress so far and that it is time to be promoted to the next level of training … for Kingdom work. This is where we usually miss God’s point and plan. If you believe that God has a plan for every life He creates, then you should be looking for God’s purpose in the job change, not feeling sorry for yourself due to the loss of income.

You may think this is pure nonsense; or just a way to hide from the reality that losing one’s job causes big problems. I have experienced all this and have arrived at the conclusion I share via the school of hard knocks. What you must understand is that God isn’t preoccupied with the same things we are. Our eternal welfare, our salvation, is His number one priority. He doesn’t care what kind of house we want to live in, or what kind of car we want to drive. In fact, I don’t believe he cares what kind of job we want to have, or the title and salary that we desire. He does care about what we do in that job to tell other people about Him and His love for all of us. Our job search may be focused on earning money to pay our bills, but our heavenly Father sees our job search as part of a lifelong quest to reach the lost for Christ.

Earlier I suggested that God may see your job loss differently than you do. If you are a follower of Christ, then I assume you believe that everything that happens to you must be allowed or ordained by God. With this in mind, let me suggest you consider this.

When God arranged for you to get that last job, He had a goal for you to achieve while in that job. You were given certain knowledge, experience, gifts and spiritual training to succeed in the new job. Once you completed that training and achieved God’s goal for you, what would you expect to happen next? A hint: you would graduate to the next level of training. I believe that God’s plan to make each of His children more like Christ to better serve His Kingdom requires that we constantly be placed in situations where we learn, grow, and lead people to Christ.

So losing your job is not necessarily all bad, and it certainly is not a form of punishment. I suggest it is a cause for celebration … something like a celebration upon graduating from High School or College. You have completed the course of study God intended in your previous job, and now it is time to move on to further study and opportunities to practice the Kingdom skills you have gained.

Congratulations on your graduation!

Harry Corbett

May 28, 2009

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