Job Loss... Rejoice??
So it’s been awhile Godacious Family. I’ll be sure to get back you on new clothing, etc. Before I do I need to give you some substance….
Let's play a hypothetical... Let's assume you have no reason to leave you job. If I tell you I'll get you you a job you've desired but with another company and more money, would you take it? Let's assume yes. Now let's say 60 days after you start, I tell you that I am removing you from this job for something even better. The catch is I can't tell you what it is. How are you feeling and do you trust me?
If you're reading still good! There are people faced with this everyday. Here's my story:
I was with my prior company for 6 years. I wasn’t necessarily looking for a new job, but I was definitely listening to potential suitors. I really didn’t have to because I was highly thought of and had built enough personal equity that I probably could have sat back and stayed there for another twenty years and coast. Those who know me though, know that I always want more and I’m uber competitive. I guess it’s the millennial in me. Either give me a challenge or I’ll find one myself. Well, a company out of nowhere approached me for a job that essentially was my bosses boss job from a responsibility standpoint. Now it’s a much smaller scale than what I was accustomed to but the responsibility nonetheless is what I dreamt of. The CEO then told me that after 6 months, he’d want me to assume the role as head of the entire function! You know when people ask you what do you want to do 5-10 years. Well this job was it, and it was within my reach! As the saying goes Go Big or Go Home! They offered me a sweet salary, bonus, and other perks. All considering I still had to pray on it b/c the job resulted in me moving, etc. After several weeks of deliberating, I received the peace I needed and accepted the position.
45 days later, I remember laughing to myself saying, “you got your challenge”. Within this time the two people who brought me in left the company. I remember after I heard the CEO leave, the feeling of worry quickly came over me. I wasn’t quite sure what I was worried about though. After all I'm going to help them repair the function and be their Knight in Shining Armor. Well I think that memo left with the people who brought me in. Remember that saying I referred to, “Go Big or Go Home”. In my situation it turned out to “Go Big AND Go Home”. On December 12th (ironically my mom’s birthday) I was notified that my position was being eliminated and outsourced. I will not forget my initial emotions. I was filled with rage, anger, embarrassment, and disappointment. I didn’t say a word the entire phone conversation. After I let things set in, I called my interim boss back cleared somethings up and vowed to myself that I’ll finish my term up as professional as possible.
What I’m going to share is how I’m dealing with this situation and my outlook on it. I was just going to tell those who I’m not close with some fabricated story about my situation. What God told me is that by telling a fabricated story I’m minimizing the work that He’s doing and about to do in my life.
Once the situation happened, I will never forget the conversation my wife and I had. She was rejoicing to me about my situation. She said to me that God has a plan for us and this situation needs to happen for that plan to come to fruition. I wanted to say, “babe… really I just was told I’m losing my job, and you want to give glory to God? Can we both be down and upset for a couple minutes?”. However as she was speaking I recalled 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In every thing give thanks…”. Talk about a humbling situation. I guess it's easy to give thanks only when it's good. Then Romans 8 came into my mind and it says “that all things work together for our good”. It doesn’t say that some-things will work together for our good. These words and promises are the foundation of the hope that I have for tomorrow. The understanding that I have came with the peace that I have from the Lord. My situation hasn’t necessarily changed, but the fact that I have peace tells me that the Lord has answered my prayers. That peace that I have tells me that the Lord has something brewing for me. I should be upset with the world right now but instead I'm giving thanks and rejoicing because my joy is in the Lord. My joy is not in my circumstance, nor will I let that circumstance I'm in define me. My joy comes from within.
It’s always easy to leave a big post like this when the Lord blesses you with something obvious like money, job, marriage, etc. I felt compelled to write this to share because not all testimonies are created equal. Sometimes we forget that God doesn’t promise us that all things will be roses and sunshine. He told us that as long as we’re in this world we will experience tribulations. If you read on though (John 16:33) he says be of good cheer because he’s already conquered the world. That’s why I can sit back with a smile with my feet up. God has told me WATCH MY WORK.
I’m glad I wrote this post because this mindset/understanding is the definition of Godacious. Being bold for things that are not of this world!
Let's play a hypothetical... Let's assume you have no reason to leave you job. If I tell you I'll get you you a job you've desired but with another company and more money, would you take it? Let's assume yes. Now let's say 60 days after you start, I tell you that I am removing you from this job for something even better. The catch is I can't tell you what it is. How are you feeling and do you trust me?
If you're reading still good! There are people faced with this everyday. Here's my story:
I was with my prior company for 6 years. I wasn’t necessarily looking for a new job, but I was definitely listening to potential suitors. I really didn’t have to because I was highly thought of and had built enough personal equity that I probably could have sat back and stayed there for another twenty years and coast. Those who know me though, know that I always want more and I’m uber competitive. I guess it’s the millennial in me. Either give me a challenge or I’ll find one myself. Well, a company out of nowhere approached me for a job that essentially was my bosses boss job from a responsibility standpoint. Now it’s a much smaller scale than what I was accustomed to but the responsibility nonetheless is what I dreamt of. The CEO then told me that after 6 months, he’d want me to assume the role as head of the entire function! You know when people ask you what do you want to do 5-10 years. Well this job was it, and it was within my reach! As the saying goes Go Big or Go Home! They offered me a sweet salary, bonus, and other perks. All considering I still had to pray on it b/c the job resulted in me moving, etc. After several weeks of deliberating, I received the peace I needed and accepted the position.
45 days later, I remember laughing to myself saying, “you got your challenge”. Within this time the two people who brought me in left the company. I remember after I heard the CEO leave, the feeling of worry quickly came over me. I wasn’t quite sure what I was worried about though. After all I'm going to help them repair the function and be their Knight in Shining Armor. Well I think that memo left with the people who brought me in. Remember that saying I referred to, “Go Big or Go Home”. In my situation it turned out to “Go Big AND Go Home”. On December 12th (ironically my mom’s birthday) I was notified that my position was being eliminated and outsourced. I will not forget my initial emotions. I was filled with rage, anger, embarrassment, and disappointment. I didn’t say a word the entire phone conversation. After I let things set in, I called my interim boss back cleared somethings up and vowed to myself that I’ll finish my term up as professional as possible.
What I’m going to share is how I’m dealing with this situation and my outlook on it. I was just going to tell those who I’m not close with some fabricated story about my situation. What God told me is that by telling a fabricated story I’m minimizing the work that He’s doing and about to do in my life.
Once the situation happened, I will never forget the conversation my wife and I had. She was rejoicing to me about my situation. She said to me that God has a plan for us and this situation needs to happen for that plan to come to fruition. I wanted to say, “babe… really I just was told I’m losing my job, and you want to give glory to God? Can we both be down and upset for a couple minutes?”. However as she was speaking I recalled 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In every thing give thanks…”. Talk about a humbling situation. I guess it's easy to give thanks only when it's good. Then Romans 8 came into my mind and it says “that all things work together for our good”. It doesn’t say that some-things will work together for our good. These words and promises are the foundation of the hope that I have for tomorrow. The understanding that I have came with the peace that I have from the Lord. My situation hasn’t necessarily changed, but the fact that I have peace tells me that the Lord has answered my prayers. That peace that I have tells me that the Lord has something brewing for me. I should be upset with the world right now but instead I'm giving thanks and rejoicing because my joy is in the Lord. My joy is not in my circumstance, nor will I let that circumstance I'm in define me. My joy comes from within.
It’s always easy to leave a big post like this when the Lord blesses you with something obvious like money, job, marriage, etc. I felt compelled to write this to share because not all testimonies are created equal. Sometimes we forget that God doesn’t promise us that all things will be roses and sunshine. He told us that as long as we’re in this world we will experience tribulations. If you read on though (John 16:33) he says be of good cheer because he’s already conquered the world. That’s why I can sit back with a smile with my feet up. God has told me WATCH MY WORK.
I’m glad I wrote this post because this mindset/understanding is the definition of Godacious. Being bold for things that are not of this world!
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