When You’ve Lost A Job
It was the early 80’s and interest rates and the cost of living were extremely high. We’d been married only about 5 years and were in our first home when my husband found out he’d lost his job. It was earth-shaking to us. In this series, “How to Respond in a Crisis,” I want to share our experiences and encourage you, because, though these crises are huge, there is hope. My tentative plan is to share on these crises that we have experienced: Lost Your Job, Miscarriage, Lost Loved Ones, Diagnosis of Cancer, and this crisis of Pandemic.
We’re in a crisis. The words “in a crisis” don’t quite describe what we’re going through. Emotions go up and down. Unstable, is how it feels.
During a Crisis, There’s One You Can Trust.
If you find yourself unstable not only in emotions, but in your routine, in your discipline, eating poorly, lacking discipline, sleeping erratically, you’re not alone.
During this time of social distancing, I’ve felt discouraged, lacking motivation, feeling like giving up on what was important to me before. I feel depressed some days, and emotionally up the next. And I know you do, too.
I tell myself and others that this, too, shall pass, because it’s true. This was one of my mother’s favorite sayings. She’d seen her share of trouble. Trust God, and pray, she would say.
You’ve Lost Your Job But There’s Something That Hasn’t Changed
Wise words: This, too, shall pass. And I pass them on to you, as your lifeline. This, too, shall pass. And, there is something you can count on. Something that hasn’t changed. These days it feels like nothing is steady and I feel like the floor is moving. I lose my balance too easily. I’m unsteady, unbalanced, and depressed at times. I simply don’t care about anything or anyone some days. And then, all of a sudden I’m fine again. That’s when I need, more than ever, to remember that something–Someone–doesn’t change. Jesus says, “Yesterday, today and forever. I am unchanging.” “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever!” Hebrews 13:8–Hallelujah!
The times of greatest spiritual growth in my life have come through trials. In a crisis I believe God wants us to experience spiritual growth. He wants us to trust Him more, to find Him faithful. In a garden, what makes things grow? Manure, and rain, as well as sunshine. I believe this is an opportunity to “Bloom where you are planted!”
Bloom Where You Are Planted!
God Will Provide When You’ve Lost Your Job
If you’ve lost your job, I know that it’s no joke. Financial decisions need to be made. Bills have to be paid. House payments or rent have to be made. Groceries have to be bought. So, I don’t say this as someone who has not gone through this, but as someone who has! God will provide when you’ve lost your job.
When we got married, we decided we wanted to be able to have mom (me) stay home with the children when we had them. Based on that desire and goal, my husband wisely led us to purchase our first home with a mortgage that we could afford on a single income.
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I was still working full-time at the time my husband lost his job, and we didn’t have any children yet, but my income would not cover our needs. Another way God had been showing us He was in control, not us, was that “our plan” had been to wait two years before having children and then begin our family. We found out we were not in charge and we didn’t have our first child until we’d been married 7-1/2 years. That’s for a later post on “Going through a Miscarriage: How to Respond to a Crisis.”
We really rejoiced over that decision to live on one income when all of a sudden my husband didn’t have a job! It made it just a bit easier. My income was not nearly as much as my husband’s (about 1/3 or 1/4 of his salary). He needed to apply for and receive unemployment for a time, and we needed to be cautious financially, and cut expenses, wherever possible.
What You May Think About After You’ve Lost Your Job
After my husband lost his job as a professional mechanical-design engineer, he searched hard for another job. He was required to do so to get unemployment, but he would have anyway. A man’s identity is tied up in his job. He went back to school for programming. Eventually, he hired a “Headhunter,” who advised and helped him totally update his resume. But, the months dragged on without another job. Nine months of unemployment in all. He couldn’t find another job.
At that time, we didn’t feel led of the Lord to move out of state, as all our family lived in our state. He also wasn’t interested in taking something for a lot less money just to fill the gap for a period of time. Not yet, anyway. These are questions to ask the Lord about, and in a crisis, we should be more in prayer, not less. Take all your heart and problems, your worries, your discouragement, your expectations, and cry out to the Lord, knowing He will lead you. This crisis has not taken God by surprise. God knows every day we will live before one of them happens, the Bible says.
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This crisis has not taken God by surprise. God knows every day we will live before one of them happens. Take all your heart and problems, your worries, your discouragement, your expectations, and cry out to the Lord, knowing He will lead you. Psalm 62:5
Wendy Gunn
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The Word of God tells us that it is actually God Who provides for us. Not your paycheck, not your job, not your ability. When you’ve lost your job, not someone else, but you–and frankly in any crisis–this is a time when your faith in God, your belief in what He says in His Word, is tested. Do you really believe in God? Do you really trust Him?
“But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.” Deuteronomy 8:18
When God reprimanded the Israelites for grumbling and complaining, they were walking through a wilderness, had no water, didn’t know where they were going, and had just left everything familiar to them. And there were over a million people in the group. It’s not that there isn’t a real problem. That is not the point! The point is, God commands us not to grumble or complain, and to trust Him. Who are you going to trust? Who are you going to have faith in to provide?
When God was angry at the Israelites, and other times we were told to be thankful and to trust God in the Bible, it wasn’t that there wasn’t a very real danger or distress, and that there wasn’t any “reason” from a human point of view to complain or be afraid! The disciples–seasoned, experienced fisherman–were sinking in their boat! The Israelites in the wilderness had no water! Paul was in prison, in a dungeon, saying to give thanks. God is telling us to look at Him. To get our eyes off the circumstances and unto Him. Nothing is too hard for Him. God is our Source of provision. God is our Help in time of trouble. God is our Peace.
“And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.” Numbers 11:1
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Trusting God When I Don’t Know What Will Happen
One of the reasons any crisis is difficult is because we lose control and the feeling that we know what’s going to happen next. We lose the control we THINK we have over our circumstances. We never did have control or really know what was going to happen next. We just thought we did. But, in a crisis, we become aware that we are helpless. We become aware that we don’t know what is going to happen next. We are forced to trust God, and it shows us how much we have been trusting ourselves. It reveals our self-sufficient, deceived heart. We never were in charge. We never were in control. We just didn’t know it. And, we weren’t trusting God, Who loves us, and is All-wise, All-knowing, and All-powerful. Who better to trust?
Sometimes the Bad Things that Happen in our Lives Put Us Directly on the Path to the Best Things That Will Ever Happen To Us.
If You’ve Lost Your Job It Requires You To Humble Yourself
We don’t like being humbled, but that’s what happens when you’ve lost your job. In a crisis of any kind, you are humbled. What I’ve shared that we’re going through is what we experienced in every crisis we’ve been through. We were humbled, helpless, totally reliant on God. We were very aware that we had no control. We were suddenly thrust on God’s mercy. Crying out to Him for help.
I’m going to try to convince you of this fact over and over. This crisis is no different than any other, at its core, and that should give you hope! There are many similarities. The reason that the similarities give me hope is because God was there for us when my husband lost his job. God was there for us when we went through miscarriage, and He was there for us when I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. God will be there for us now, in the crisis of coronavirus. We will get through this. God is there for us.
My Mother Always Said, “This, too, shall pass.”
What About Economics When You’ve Lost Your Job
We Homeschooled our children start to finish, and lived on one income all those years. A fact that I love to share to encourage you is that, on paper, our finances were never going to be enough. But, God. If we had looked at the finances on paper and made our decision based on that, we would never have Homeschooled. It wasn’t going to work! But, by God’s grace, a bag of clothes would show up for our children, handed down by a family at church at just the right time. In the Lord’s providential care for us, the food would be stretched by grocery-store sales, or gifts of food, or invitations to people’s homes for a meal. One way or another, God provided! These are some of the ways God provided for us during this crisis.
We were blessed with the support of church family and my family, who lived about a half hour away in another part of the city. My husband’s family lived about 3 hours away, but still in our state, and also were supportive. My husband grew up on a farm, and his mom had an acre of garden. Her love language was food:) She canned and preserved food and lived to serve through her food-related gifts. She was ready and willing to supply us with food items, if we needed or wanted.
Being humble to receive gifts during a crisis is important. It serves to grow our character, our trust in God, and blesses others to be able to give. We are not islands. We are meant to serve and help one another!
“We are not islands. In a crisis, and in times of normalcy, we are meant to serve and help one another!” Wendy Gunn
God’s Supply of Your Needs When You’ve Lost a Job Is a Testimony To Your Children and Others
God supplies in different and unique ways for each person and each family. He builds your trust of Him through these times of uncertainty, and your children’s, of not knowing where the supply will come from! And He gives you a testimony of His power, love, and provision, day by day! It is wise to write down this testimony, so you don’t forget! But, you must trust Him before you see the provision. Faith is believing without seeing. And, you must be thankful in all things.
If you have never read the biography of George Mueller, this is a good time to do so. George Mueller trusted God for provision for the orphanage he ran and all the orphans he cared for, day by day. And God never let him down. He prayed. He trusted. The stories of how God provided will encourage your faith. One story is of a cart breaking down right outside their door, with quantities of bread and milk, when they needed breakfast provided, and had nothing to eat.
God provided for us through our families, and in other ways, as well. In a crisis, an unexpected kindness done for you will never be forgotten.
Unexpected Kindness is the most Powerful Least Costly and Most Underrated Agent of Human Change
One Testimony of How God Provided When a Job was Lost
I remember one day the doorbell rang and I went to the door wondering who on earth it could be, because we weren’t expecting anyone. When I opened the front door, I burst into tears, my husband standing by my side. There on the steps stood a member of our church with armloads of groceries.
My husband had been unemployed for months when these precious saints from our church arrived like angels at our door. They carried in bags and bags of groceries. It couldn’t have come at a better time. We were starting to get really discouraged.
At that time, the cost of living was very high, so even though we were just the two of us our grocery bill was more than what it would be now for a family of four. We were a newly-married couple, and those were hard times.
God knows your needs. He knows the physical needs, He knows your emotional needs, and your spiritual needs. His timing is perfect. He’s never late, and He’s not early, either. He’s always right on time.
My Mother Always Said, “This, too, shall pass.”
I say to you and to myself, “This, too, shall pass.” This crisis will pass. God is faithful. He knows, and He cares. He is taking care of you. He’s building our faith, and giving us a testimony of His power and grace, if we’ll look for it.
As a Christian, on days that I feel my sense of failure it’s often that I believe we Christians should be the strong ones, and not be discouraged. We should not be shaken. But, then I remember what the Psalmist said in Psalm 42:5, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.”
It’s important to know that it’s ok to be cast down or discouraged at times, but you need to know Who to go to with your problems. Having lost a job: how to respond in a crisis is to turn to God in faith and trust. He will be there for us. Hope thou in God.
Have a Great Week Making Your Home For God!
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