It has been over 6 months since I have been gainfully employed. This is not due to a lack of looking, applying, contacting, etc, but rather due to some reason that I do not know or understand. I have applied for jobs that I am very qualified to fill; jobs for which my experience matches up perfectly; jobs for which my skill sets and experiences would be an ideal fit. For the great majority of these jobs I have received nothing in response. I have had a friend who was a recruiter look at my resume to make sure that it was good. He made a few recommendations (which I did) but overall it was a good resume. Needless to say, my current state of employment has not made much sense to me. I have looked into going out on my own. I have put this off because I don't really want to do it and there is an upfront cost that I don't want to spend unless I am in it for the long run. So, as of right now, I am looking for employment and also beginning the process of going out on my own.
These past 6 months have been an amazing experience for me and my family. I remember thinking in March that if I didn't have a job by the end of March I would be nervous. March came and went with no job and no nervousness. Then I started thinking the same thing about April and May. Both of those months ended with no job and no nerves. Why no nerves? I have been able to see God provide in magnificent ways in my life and in my family. Somebody paid for our kids' tuition for the final 3 months of school. I have no idea who this person is but I know that God used them to give us the desires of our hearts. By the way, somebody also covered the tuition for September as well. Now we have a voucher and God continues to provide.
I could go on and on about how God has used the people in His Body, the church, to cover our financial needs. And while I have been amazed to see how God uses others to provide, this has not been the best part of my unemployment. God has done a transforming work in my life. I have learned during this time the importance of investing our lives into others' lives, those inside and outside of the church. He has shown me that we need to take the time that we have given and use it to make disciples of all nations. I have learned that when life gets busy we often put aside the Great Commission and claim that we are too busy to live the life that God has commanded. God has used this time to show me that my first and main obligation is to Him and living out the commands that He has given. I have learned that we do have the time to do these things if we will just listen to the commands that we have been given and the promises that go along with them. We must encourage each other to be the light on a hill to the world around us. We must and we can.
God has taken my distractions away from me and has shown me what it means to be a disciple of Christ. Remember Andrew and Peter, James and John? Remember how they left their work and followed Him? We must be willing to do the same. Jesus commands it and He deserves it.
