Losing your job or finding yourself unable to work can affect you not just economically, but emotionally and spiritually. It might make you feel anxious, useless or hopeless. If you have been looking for work for a long time, you might even feel like giving up. But God has not forgotten you. He knows your needs and wants to help you; the Bible says He “comforts the downcast” (2 Corinthians 7:6).
Maybe you will find work soon, but maybe not; God might have something in store for you that you didn’t expect. Whatever you do, try not to get discouraged. The Bible says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11). It also tells us that “the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).
Here are some other tips while you wait for work or decide what to do next:
— Remember that Jesus Christ knows what you’re going through and has compassion on your situation. He knew what it was to be poor and even homeless. When you put your trust in Him, He is with you wherever you go.
— Use this time to grow closer to your family. Spend time with them, mend broken relationships and share what God is doing in your life.
— Look into job retraining programs or volunteer opportunities to keep you active, help others and give you experience you might use later on. The Bible tells us to “make the most of every opportunity” (Colossians 4:5).
— Give your worry to God and ask Him what step He wants you to take next. See this time not as a problem but as an opportunity to strengthen your relationships. If you do, once this time of unemployment is over or you have moved onto something else, you can look back and thank God for being with you, even in the midst of difficult times.
Matthew 6:25, 28-30 tells us, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? … See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?”
Ask God to give you the desire to do whatever you need to do to find another job, but remember that when you trust in Him, you are not taking those next steps alone.
