If you are a working adult during the recent global pandemic, a job loss is something too commonly experienced among millions of people all over the world. If you have lost a job, it can be one of the most hurtful, daunting, and scary experiences. So how can you deal with a job loss after you have worked so hard and now you have been let go?
There are many world events that can happen during our lifetime that have a negative effect on us to be able to work. Back in 2008, it was the financial crisis that brought an economic recession. Depending on the type of industry that you’re in, there seem to be seasons of prosperity and seasons of a downturn. But when you are the chosen person to be laid off at work, it can take a tremendous toll on you emotionally.
How To Deal With An Unexpected Job Loss
There is a negative stigma around someone that has been given the pink slip. Being laid-off or let go can hurt your ego, your sense of pride in your work. You may feel like it was because of something you did or didn’t do. Maybe you think to yourself that it was because you didn’t pander to the higher-ups or maybe you thought it was because they never liked or appreciated you. It could be that a boss stabbed you in the back, reducing his staff to make the numbers look good. Whatever it is, you can hold on to bitterness and resentment towards the company.
So what can you do from here on out? How can you move on from what happened to you?
Know Who You Really Are
The truth is, neither a job title nor a company gets to defines who you are. What happened to you does not mean that it was because you’re incapable or that you’re not good enough. Most companies are run based on profitability. If the economy is not bringing enough work for them, it can be a very impersonal decision to reduce costs and cut out staff. The worst in people and companies come out during the hard times. This is a part of life and being human.
Think about your accomplishments and the hours that you have put in. Because of you and your work, you have made the workplace or the world a better place. You are more than just a number on a company’s employee list. You are an individual who has gone through challenges to be where you are. You’re still here right? This is a season, just like every other season that you have overcome. It may be a season of waiting, but it will pass. What to do during a season of waiting? Read here.
Give Yourself Grace
Some people can beat themselves up for what happened while some blame *that* person or organization. Think about if this would have happened to a close friend. What words of comfort and encouragement would you give them to deal with a job loss? If you can give others grace, you need to do the same for yourself. Allow yourself to grieve, to feel angry, and to feel embarrassed. Know that those are very human and normal emotions to feel.
THEN, ball them all up to pitch it as far away into the past as you can. Take responsibility for all your faults and learn from your mistakes, then move on! Give yourself the grace to not drown in an experience that has the potential to shape a better future for you. You get to decide here whether you will be a victim of this experience or an overcomer.
Redirect Your Focus
You may have concentrated so much negativity since the job loss. However, that focus needs to be redirected. There are actions that you need to take to make sure that your needs are provided for. Do not neglect your finances and what you can potentially earn. Go through your bills and see how you can cut out non-necessities. See what other odds and ends that you can do like driving for extra money or delivering food. There is absolutely no shame in providing for yourself and your family.
You are now rich in time. You can afford to spend it on whatever you have put off. Write down dreams and goals, no matter how small, that you want to accomplish but never had time for. Think about activities that you have always wanted to try or to get back into. It could be reading more, getting back into painting, learning a musical instrument, or exercising more. Maybe it’s getting outside in nature, away from the noise to think more clearly. Redirect your focus to things you have once loved and learn to love.
You can also think about going back to school or starting a business. You have the freedom now to pick up the pieces to reshape your future on your terms. Don’t worry about what people think or will think. These are some of the best times that you can have with yourself. Nourish your creativity. If you can spend countless hours, working hard for a company, why withhold the best parts of yourself from you?
How To Deal With A Job Loss As A Christian
When I first dealt with a job loss, I was so disappointed in myself and in God. I asked indignantly, “how could you have let that happen?”. So many variations of emotions, mostly of shame overwhelmed me. I drowned in self-pity, avoiding some of my family and friends. I even wanted to skip gatherings during the holidays because I didn’t want anyone to ask me about work. The worst thing for me was imagining the conversations of me having to tell them what happened. I feared them judging me like I was a bad worker so that’s why I was let go.
For months and months after, I searched for other opportunities. No matter how hard I tried to push them and kick them down, doors kept closing on me. I kept questioning my self-worth then. Am I just not good enough for anybody to hire me? But the truth is, no door that the Lord closes can be opened by man. At the end of my ropes, I reflected on what God has done for me and my family. I thought about any time that He ever failed me. And I couldn’t think of one.
When something happened that I thought was the end of the world, God turned it into good. When I thought I had failed, He turned them into learning opportunities that helped me later on in life. There are certain Bible verses that are said too commonly that sometimes the meaning seemed to be lost. One such verse is,
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:28
But we need to truly meditate on God’s words. How can we deal with anything that life throws at us, let alone a job loss, we don’t know the truth? And if the Living Words says that all things, including our setbacks, including our job loss, will work for good. If we never experience hurt, disappointments, and trials, how can we be living testimonies for God? If we gave our lives to Him, how can God use us if we never had to depend on Him? Can we trust that this job loss doesn’t surprise God? Can we trust that God’s plans and purposes for us are better than our own plans for us?
And what if God is trying to push you in a different direction? It doesn’t necessarily have to be a different career path or an entirely new industry. Maybe this isn’t about a job or a title. What if this is to make a whole new path in your life that hasn’t existed? Can we lean to God and see what He is about to do?
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. - Isaiah 43:19
Let Us Pray
Heavenly Father, thank you for providing my needs all these times that I thought it was me. I admit that I tend to forget that it is You who has the course of my life in the palm of your hands. Forgive me that I try to be Lord over my own life. I tend to submit myself to defeat, despite knowing that I’m an overcomer through your son, Jesus. Father, show me what I need to see in this season. Guide me what to do daily, to be a good steward of the time and talent that you have given me. Lead me to the right doors that you’ve opened for me. I pray this in Jesus’s name, amen.
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