Q: When unemployed how do we as Christians cope with life? —Dorothy
A: Being unemployed can be a very stressful and highly emotional time of life. When you’ve out of work for a period of time, the rejections from potential employers can sap your morale and cause you to lose confidence—wreaking havoc on your self-esteem and self-worth. You can even experience some of the same emotions and stages of grieving as a person who has experienced the death of a loved one or some other major life loss.
During this time, it’s vital that you make some necessary adjustments—such as adjusting your budget as you take into consideration the loss of income and establishing a new routine for making meaningful use of your free time. Anger, bitterness, denial, disappointment, boredom, frustration, worry, anxiety, stress, and fear are some of the emotions you might experience. But this can also be an amazing time of growth in your faith as you depend on God in new and fresh ways. Seeking Him and feeding on His Word daily can provide comfort and encouragement (Romans 15:13; Philippians 4:19). Also, spending time with mature, joyful believers in Jesus can lighten your load and give you a better perspective of who you are in Christ—employed or not!
To help you cope with unemployment, check out this online booklet: Now What? A Healing Journey Through Job Loss. —K.T. Sim
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mike wittmer on September 27, 2012 at 11:07 am
This is wise advice for such a brutal ordeal. I think that one of the biggest challenges must be to not become bitter when we see those who are less skilled or qualified than us but who still have jobs. It’s hard to rejoice with those who rejoice, especially when we are weeping (rightly) for our own loss.
lovatorobert on November 4, 2012 at 7:02 am
I found myself unemployed for about a year and the church was experiencing a bit of a crisis at the other branch.They had a double mortage for the church and a house they had next door.The house was just sitting there because in no way able to be used for anything due to its condition.It had no means of heat and the plumbing was terrible.It needed a complete makeover.I decided to volunteer my time and take on this task.I made an agreement with the Pastor that I would do all the labor,if they could cover the supplies.They now rent out the house to a member of the church to cover that part of the mortage. It landed up being the most pleasant job I ever had. (IF U FIND YOURSELF UNEMPLOYED FIND WORK IN THE CHURCH,ITS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE BACK TO THE LORD. I AM A HANDYMAN AND SINCE THE COMPLETION OF THAT PROJECT,GOD IS OPENING DOORS,HOWEVER I MIGHT HAVE TO LUBE THE HINGES 1ST!!!! LOL……THANK U LORD!!
tom felten on November 5, 2012 at 8:38 am
lovatorobert, thanks for sharing this inspiring story. I love how you didn’t sit and sulk about not having a job—you saw a need you could work on and you met it. And it sounds like God is blessing you with ongoing work. Praise Him!