(Mat 20:6-7) And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.
Being among the ranks of the unemployed does more to insult the self-respect of a person than almost anything else. It carries with it a stigma that needs no reinforcement by the comments of others. You hope no one will ask what you do for work, and when they do it’s hard to know what to squeak out in response. I got laid off? I’m not working presently? I’m in-between jobs?
Sometimes the unexpected happens. Things change, and you might be let go. Your company may be struggling. Maybe they’re restructuring or closing down your division. Perhaps they’re moving operations to another state. Whatever it is, you might be the victim of these changes. It happened to me on my old job. I had been working for three and a half years for a company and a new manager came in with a hatchet in his hand. I was summoned into his office and was told the news. I will never forget standing there completely stunned, as I didn’t see it coming. What a long walk out the door and to my car. What do I do now? I’ve been working since I was fifteen years old. So weird to drive home and enter the house with no job.
From the beginning of creation, the Lord had man working. (Gen 2:15) Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. Notice how this is before the fall when man was in paradise conditions. The curse of the fall is not working, but working by the sweat of your brow (Gen 3:19). But soon Adam and Eve would be kicked out of the garden. That means Adam lost his job, too.
So, what do you do when you are facing the ranks of the unemployed? (Mat 7:7-8) “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. PRAY and get everyone you know to pray for you. SEEK by researching job availabilities. Then KNOCK on doors. If a door doesn’t open, then it’s not the one for you. God wants to bless you somewhere else. Be persistent and don’t give up! Our God provides, and something eventually will turn up.
And while you are looking for work keep yourself occupied. (Luke 19:13) And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. God has created us to keep busy, which alleviates boredom and depression. Do some volunteer work. Catch up on projects around the home. Recycle those items or scrap metal for extra cash. Catch up on your Bible reading. Get involved more at church with the Bible studies and prayer meetings and outreaches and events. Call the church office and ask if you can clean. Keep from the temptation of giving up and watching a lot of TV, etc. Keep your dignity and avoid self-pity because soon you will be among the ranks of the employed!
Louie
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