My blog

Tag: job loss

  • Pride comes before…

    The pride of your heart has deceived you,
    You     who dwell in the clefts of the rock,
    Whose habitation is high;
    You who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’

    Obadiah 1:3

    Let’s look at Obadiah’s background. There are thirteen Obadiah’s mentioned in the Bible and this prophet, also a minor prophet could have been any of them. From an officer to a teacher of the law, to an overseer of the temple repairs to a priest in the time of Nehemiah. He could have been any of them. The Bible doesn’t tell us exactly which Obadiah he was. We do know he was called to preach to the Edomites for their sin. They were the descendants of Esau, nicknamed Edom, which means “red” and probably because he had red hair. He was the son of Isaac and Rebekah and Jacob’s brother

    Let’s look at the verse. Obadiah is preaching against the Edomites because they are filled with pride and it has deceived them. They boasted about their natural fortifications in the clefts of the rocks high in the mountains. They thought because their physical habitat was difficult to reach, they were invincible. A sure sign of pride.

    So how does this verse correlate to our lives today?

    Pride can be an insidious thing. It can manifest itself in anything in a person’s life. You name it, it can be a source of pride. The question is, what is the level of that pride. If the level of pride is so great that it affects our daily life and causes issues, then it’s time to take stock. So, what do we do about it?

    Being aware of how much pride we have is the first step. If you recognize an area in your life where pride has not only taken root but has caused issues, then you are better able to combat it. If you cannot recognize the areas where pride has manifested itself or if that pride is sinful, asking God to show you where those areas are, is the best thing to do. Listening to God speak to you about it, will help you understand what needs to be done. Then ask God to help you exercise better control over it.

    We are called not to be prideful, but to give God the glory for everything in our lives.  And there is something we can boast about, and that’s the cross of Jesus.

    At one time my husband was very prideful in his job. That job and a few subsequent ones were taken away from him. He suffered some years until God showed him it was his pride that caused many of the job losses. It was a challenging lesson for him…and for me. But with God’s help, he recognized it and overcame it.

  • Life Happens.

    My husband lost his job right before the holidays in December 2007.  His job defined him and thought he’d one day retire from it but God had other plans.  When the dreadful recession of 2008 picked up steam in California, jobs dried up.  It was all we could do to keep making the mortgage payments on our dream home.  Little by little his retirement fund vanished and desperation set in.

    Finally, he landed a short-term contract more than 2,500 miles away.  I stayed home and prepared our home for sale while I worked part-time.   Before he left for South Carolina, we painted the shutters and door and planted beautiful flowers to give our home the curb appeal it needed but, in a market where there were thousands of homes for sale, the prospect of selling seemed bleak.  Room by room, I sorted, packed, and pitched. But I kept praying.  Praying for favor from buyers and wisdom for the sale.

    My husband remained stubborn, and he refused to sell even though it was the only way to keep us from losing everything we worked for.  His South Carolina job was not what was advertised, and he wanted to come home. He couldn’t stand being alone.  I gave him an ultimatum. He could come home but he had to do two things:  put the house on the market and find another job.

    In July, he made that long trip back, and we put the house on the market. It took months to sell the house, but it sold when no houses were selling and most of them were selling for less than the owners’ mortgage.  This was a miracle given the Sacramento area was one of the most hard-hit of recession areas.  When our house finally closed on December 31, 2008, we were overjoyed because it sold at a profit.  Unheard of.  We knew God showed us favor in the house sale and He’d continue to show favor with a job.

    We moved into a small apartment and put most of our belongings into a storage POD.  During the sale period, my husband received an offer to work for a company that worked for the military in Germany. Neither he nor I were keen on living in Germany.  Neither of us was getting any younger.  He turned it down.  Once.  Twice.  Three times.  The employer told him the job would be his if he wanted it.  After the third time, my husband said, “I don’t know how many times God has to hit me over the head. I think we should take this job.”

    I wasn’t thrilled with picking up and moving across the world to a foreign land but if God wanted us there, we’d go.  We had valid passports and no house to sell.  A perfect situation for us and his future employer.  But we could only take so much with us. Our decision to rid ourselves of all the gardening equipment housed in the storage POD meant we had to dispose of it.

    We traveled the short distance to our old neighborhood and gifted our old neighbor, Chuck, with the gardening tools.  When we arrived at his home, not only was his home on the market but so was the home right next door to our old house.  Chuck had the same house like ours.  The one next door to our old house was a little larger.  Both owners were short selling their homes.

    When we unloaded the gardening equipment, he said to us, “You were very lucky. Your buyer overpaid for your home big time.”  And I said, “That wasn’t luck.  That was the power of prayer.”

    My husband and I rejoiced all the way to our tiny apartment and looked forward to the adventure God had in store for us when we moved to Germany.

    When have you seen God at work in your life?

     

  • The Human Spirit

    Never underestimate the power of the human spirit!  There are those who, when burdened with an overwhelming life event come through it stronger and more able to stand against the next crazy life event that could have them crawling on their knees. Then there are others who, when dealt a crushing blow, are devastated to the point of immobility and can’t rise above the situation.

    When a person has a life-threatening health crisis, like latter stage cancer, does that person stand up and fight it with their last breath or do they resign themselves to their bed to die?

    In a health crisis, we never see those who have lost their battle to cancer without a fight.  Some retreat into themselves to waste away and die with their family and friends dismayed they wouldn’t fight to live…not only for their family and friends but for themselves.  Some give up when their friends and family never wanted them to give up.  Others fight until their last breath. Even though they lose the battle, they have fought.  Even through death, they have risen above their circumstances. If you’re suffering from cancer, fight the good fight, be strong, and give yourself and your family hope!

    A couple of great examples of high-profile individuals who had fought the fight to their last breath.  Farrah Fawcett looked for every known cure and Patrick Swayze continued to work throughout his treatment.  Both lost their battle with cancer but did so with dignity and strength.

    What about when a kid is bullied?  Does he constructively fight back or does he retreat into himself possibly committing suicide?

    We often hear about kids committing suicide because they were bullied.  Sometimes it’s a genuine wish to shed light on bullying and how awful it is for the kid’s family and friends.  But oftentimes, it’s a political entreaty to advance someone’s agenda which is totally not cool.

    But what about the kids who rise above the bullying?  Why don’t we hear about those kids?  Today I watched a video of an 11-year-old kid who took free violin lessons because the kids at school bullied him because he had cancer.  Kids can be cruel and merciless.  They have no filters or have not been taught any filters.  But this boy made my heart sing.  He appeared on America’s Got Talent and blew everyone away with his violin playing.  He made it to the television show.  What an example of how the human spirit can overcome.  This boy chose music to overcome his heartache over being bullied. Other’s may choose sports or some other positive way to overcome.

    What about when a person has lost every possession to a hurricane, tornado, or flooding? Does the person retreat to a homeless shelter never to be heard from again or does he take action and rebuild his home and his life?

    When a person loses everything, it is total defeat. They have nothing.  No clothing, no memorabilia, no means of personal identification. They become lost. How do they come back from such a devastating life event?

    Personally, I trust in the Lord when some life event brings me lower than dirt.  I know it works.  It gives me peace and strength.  God gives us what we need when we need it if we call on Him to help in our time of need.

    Several years ago, my 61-year-old husband lost his job.  I was afraid at first then I remembered God had it all in the palm of His hand.  I told my husband we’d pray about it and let God lead us.  And lead us, He did.  My husband got a job offer not three weeks later.  To say it was a miracle is an understatement.  Who hires a 61-year-old man who is almost ready to retire in a few years? God can do anything, even heal the sick and restore a home.

    I don’t know if any of the people described here trusted in the Lord but I believe the Lord gives us strength and power to overcome.  It comes from within.  It comes from Him.

    What are your thoughts on where your strength comes from?

     

     

  • When God shows up…

    My husband and I are part of a group of couples who pray for the needs of our church.  We get together with the Pastor on Wednesday evenings to pray for one another, the church body, the community, and the world.  We’ve been part of this prayer ministry almost from the first time we attended this church when we moved to North Carolina three years ago.

    One couple out of the four couples on the team pray for people after service on Sundays.  We never know in advance who will pray and it doesn’t matter to any of the couples because they’re usually there every Sunday.  Who prays is at the discretion of the prayer team leader and who is attending church.  We are happy to oblige when the need arises.

    This past Sunday, we knew from the previous Sunday we would be praying.  Sometimes people come to the front and sometimes they don’t.  We’d rather they did but, we know not everyone is comfortable with strangers praying for them. Others have big needs and have the courage to come forward as was the case this past Sunday.

    And God showed up.  It was the right time, the right place for the right prayer partners and the right person.  It all fit together like minute puzzle pieces.

    Scott lost his job and worried about finding another.  Upset by his job loss particularly since it was his dream job and he’d only held the position for several months, he came forward for prayer. My husband and I definitely related to this man’s worry.  Both of us have lost jobs over the years, my husband’s most recent job loss was three years ago and included a move from Virginia to North Carolina.   And my husband had to learn the lesson, the hard way,  of having his identity wrapped up in his work.

    He learned his identity is in Christ and not the position God gave him.  It was a long, tough lesson to learn.  But through it all, we trusted God.  His way is better than ours and there was a purpose to what we endured.  We couldn’t see it then.  Rarely can you see the benefit of the struggles as you’re going through them.  You only see them after you’ve come through the fire.

    Being familiar with this setback, we told several job loss related stories which included an international move.  We shared words of encouragement before we prayed for him.  Our stories and prayers encouraged him.

    We now know God had a plan for us to share our job loss moments with those who are suffering the same fate.  But more than that, we realized God showed up at that moment and put the right people in Scott’s path.

    But those who wait on the LORD
    Shall renew their strength;
    They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
    They shall run and not be weary,
    They shall walk and not faint.
    Isaiah 40: 31