Lots of us are spending extensive time and energy on career planning right now. Necessity is causing us to rethink the position we have as our companies shift strategy, costs, and talent needs. For many, the music has stopped and they don’t have a chair and find themselves trying to figure out what the next job should and can be. For some, total career shifts are taking place as their jobs have been eliminated, made obsolete through technology or sent overseas to where the cost of labor is lower. While we hope that these jobs may come back, it is as good of a chance that they won’t as they will return. This is causing people to think about retraining and rethinking their education and career choices. These can be frustrating, worrisome and scary times. When we get used to the work we do, the company that employs us, the people we work with and the location we live, and then these are taken from us, we all respond differently to these challenges. What I do know is that when this happens and one is faced with these difficult circumstances and choices, that we hurt. We hurt deep inside where our self-esteem and self-worth reside. We hurt because those who we love and depend on us have to go through this with us, at no fault of their own. When we are in this place and we are trying to see the future but can’t because of the tears of the present are blurring our vision it is a lonely and frightening feeling. It is in these times that we need to lean into our relationship with God and call upon his promises. We can be encouraged with the words we read in Ephesians 2:10; “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” We can rest assured that God has our career plan as part of the masterpiece that He has created in us. He had good things planned for us to do and those good things will be in His purpose, which is our purpose. I know that these are hard times and it seems trite to think that we can just grab a Bible verse and all will be okay, but with our continued and deepening faith we can find that God’s promises are true, real, and playing out in real time, if we let Him do so. At this challenging time, those of us who personally may not be in the situation of having to rethink and replan our career and lives, do know someone who is in that situation and are hurting right now. Today would be the perfect day to reach out to them by phone, visit or email and let them know that you are praying for them, and that you are there for them if they need you. That encouraging word is part of the good things that you can do to help a brother or sister in need.

Reference: Ephesians 2:10 (New Living Testament)