How Can Good Come Out of Job Loss?
Written by Jonathan Malm, USA
Have you ever lost your job? I have. It feels horrible.
My story isn’t one of rejection. I didn’t get fired, so much as the job I had no longer existed. The company chose to cancel a conference it was running, and I was its director. Since my role was no longer necessary, I no longer had a job. I didn’t get fired—yet it hurt just as much as if I had been.
When you’re in that situation, it’s hard to see any light at the end of the dark tunnel. It feels like your world is crashing down around you. You find yourself asking thousands of questions, whether in your head or out loud. How will I pay my bills? What’s next? What did I do to deserve this? How could they? Why would God allow this to happen? Will anyone ever want to hire me again after this failure? If you keep a cool head, you might avoid yelling and throwing things, but the anger will probably still be there.
I experienced all of that. The questions. The anger. But I also experienced something different. I call it “the hidden option”. I experienced hope for greater possibilities even though I couldn’t see the hope clearly.
I’m convinced that God can take everything negative in our lives and do something creative with it. In Genesis, the story was told of Joseph, sold into slavery by his brothers. When the tables turned and Joseph triumphed in spite of their actions, he said this to them: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” (Gen 50:20 ESV) God took their evil and turned it to good.
The thing is, I believe God has already created the opportunities for beauty in our lives. It’s up to us to find them. God seems to encourage us to be active and diligent in our search of both Him and His answers—and He promises to respond. In Matthew 7:7 NLT, Jesus told us, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” Could it be that God wants us to grow in our persistence and our dependence on him? Could it be that God has hidden possibilities in your life, and He wants you to keep digging for them?
When there seems to be nothing good in your job loss, I believe there are hidden options for what can come next.I have a friend who had this experience when his world crashed down around him. He was a communications director at a large, internationally-known church. His pastor was caught in the middle of scandal, and it was his responsibility to defend both the church and his pastor. My friend did his best, but he experienced fiery arrows heading his way from every direction. News outlets even quoted him, skewing his words to further crucify the pastor and his church. It felt like a hopeless situation.
It got even worse when the pastor stepped down. The church dissolved, and my friend was left without a job. Not only that, he felt like he had a black mark on his name because of his involvement in the scandal. Who would want to work with a person caught in the middle of all that failure?
He candidly related his story to me over coffee one day, and I could tell he felt like that part of his life was a complete waste. He was doing his best to move past that situation and hoped to let that part of his life fade into obscurity.
I saw his pain, but I didn’t see that season of his life as a failure. In fact, I saw it as a stepping stone that God had prepared for him. He had first-hand experience of something that nearly every megachurch pastor fears. They all fear that one sound bite taken out of context. They fear the high-ranking leader in their church exposed for secret sin. That’s not something many pastors know how to even begin preparing for, which is where my friend enters the picture.
He saw his experience as something to sweep under the rug, but I saw it as something that could be used to help these churches. He could teach these pastors the things he did right and the things he did wrong. He could help them prepare for potential troubles and put plans in place for the worst-case scenario. Most churches value protecting their congregation from the media storm they’ve seen happen at other congregations, so it’s a service that would be in high demand.
As I shared my idea with him, I saw hope enter his eyes again. When I shed light on the hidden option, he became excited once again. When the world seemed to burst in flames around him, there was a brief clearing in the smoke that could suddenly help it all make sense again. The hope was there, he just needed some help to see it.
No matter the circumstance for your losing your job, I believe there is a hidden option out there for you. It’ll be hard to see it because of the emotions swirling around the situation. But if you’re willing to look for it, you can find it. Here are some ideas to help you find the hidden option when you can’t seem to find it.
- Ask God to show you the hidden options in this situation.
- Talk to someone who has been in your situation, has successfully navigated job loss or what seems like failure, and will encourage you. Ask them what they see for your life.
- Look for the thin glimmer of light, no matter how small, and move toward it.
Life isn’t over. Your ability to earn a living isn’t over. God can turn the situation around. I’ve seen Him do it in my life and in the life of my friends. I know He can do it for you too.
I feel lost right now. Don’t know what direction I’m headed. Need to work, but don’t know what I’m looking for, or where the Lord would have me. Please help
Thanks for reaching out by email, JoAnn. Grateful we got to connect. 🙂
I will lost my job next month. I feel so worry about my life. I don’t know what to do now.
Please help me Lord, i’m so confuse and sad to face this situation. Please pray for me, pray for a new job will come soon to me.
Definitely will pray for you. I encourage you to seek God first in this season. A job might seem like the goal…but sometimes the answer to your question is more profound than just a mere job. It might be that God has something unexpected for you.
The world uses the word failure way too often and it’s gotten them heading in the wrong direction …..
You see no one is immune to loss ever since we lost hope in the garden ….
From the perspective of most people Adam had failed in his mission that of passing godliness to his family …
Eve had swallowed whole lies from the serpent and now her family had a killer in the midst man …
But listen to what Yahweh told her about her plight ….
I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers he will crush your head and you will strike his heel …
Genesis 3:15
What the enemy meant for their harm become the very first proclamation of the plans God had for fallen man ….
Later the Almighty I AM spoke to Jeremiah about the new covenant he was making with the sons of Adam ….
A new covenant I am making with the house of Jacob ….
Not like the old one they forsook when they tested me in the wilderness and profaned my name …
I will give them a new heart and I will write my law in it ….
From the greatest to the least they will know my name ….
No longer will a man say to his brother know God ….
And no longer will one teach another saying accept his ways …
For I have set eternity in the hearts of men and they will know me for themselves ….
Now why would we as Christian cats adopt self defeating mentally knowing we serve the living God ???
What would it take for us to believe ???
Another parting of the Sea ???
More fire from the sky ???
How many times do we need to be rebuked by Christ and for how long will he stay with us oh we of lil faith ???
We have this treasurer locked up in a secret vault and only that blessed spirit can unlock it …
If we lack wisdom let us ask of it from he who gives it without finding fault …
Amen
Winston Churchill once said: Never, Never, Never give up.
Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all things will be added unto you.
I too am seeking God’s direction for my life. I feel like I’m at a crossroads, wondering which way to turn. Although I too feel lost, I DO find comfort in knowing that God has a plan …but what is the plan, how will I know? I I want to do HIS will but am just not sure what it is or what to do in the meantime!!!
Might be late and I’m expecting a reply. But only found this article because I have been made redundant, and would love to talk to someone who’s been there and can be my fresh pair of eyes to see what’s left in me. Ageism is prevalent in the workforce and I didnt chose to become older, although I’m very experienced and wise in what I do.
Its been almost two years since I lost my job my first born was 8 months old and I was pregnant for my second when it happens. When I foumd out that I am pregnant I thought God has prepared something immidiately but no.things have been getting worse since then. Truly speaking I have lost all the hope I had and I am an able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.everything is dark. My husband is serving at children minstry and my Salery was our familys biggest income. We are dipped with debt till our neck from freinds and the bank. I even tryed to end my life but I failed. Still confused
Lost my job 6 times in just 3 years. Laid off multiple times as companies closed down, ran out of money and then covid crisis.
It’s funny that all this happened in such a short time. I lost all hope.