Unemployment: Exploring ‘Deep Waters’ for the Future
February 28, 2011 · 0 Comments
By: Rick Boxx
With unemployment rising to increasingly higher levels in our city over the past couple of years, I found myself devoting a lot of time to counseling people about their future career paths. When people lose their jobs, it can be a fearful, devastating experience. However, it also can be an excellent time for personal reevaluation, to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses, and reconsidering God’s purpose for their life.
Often individuals will call me in their process of networking to find a new job, but unfortunately I find they have little or no idea about what they want to do next. How can you find a suitable, rewarding job if you really do not know what you want to do – or what you are best suited for doing?
As a result, some of my most valuable conversations come from helping them identify God’s calling and purpose for their future. Interestingly, this is a matter that many people never factor into their vocational choices. Some might even ask, “What does God have to do with it?” For them, the only issue might be how much money they can earn, or potential for career advancement.
In the Bible, however, we read that God is very much concerned with what we do. After all, it says, He is the one that designed us. “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well…. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:14-16).
Another passage in the Old Testament also assures us of God’s clear desires for His children: “ ‘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).
So when someone approaches me or calls me on the phone, seeking help in finding a new job, I try to do more than point them to possible workplaces. I talk with them, asking about their interests, dreams, desires. This is not always easy, especially if the person has not given much thought to these things. But as Proverbs 20:5 teaches, “The purposes of a man’s heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.”
A friend once told me of a time when someone else helped him in much the same way. The person he was talking with had offered wise counsel by asking two related questions: “If you were to take money out of the equation, would you continue doing what you are doing? If you had the assurance of earning as much money as you needed, what would you really like to do?”
Even though those questions seem simple, they deserve thoughtful, careful consideration. Your answers could set your career in a surprisingly different direction.
So if you are unemployed, under-employed (overqualified for the work you are doing), or have a friend who is looking for a new job, try not to simply offer quick suggestions on where to look for work. Resolve to spend time drawing out the “deep waters” God has placed in the person’s heart. You could both find that the time discussing this is well-spent.
Until next week!
Copyright 2010, Integrity Resource Center, Inc. Adapted with permission from “Integrity Moments with Rick Boxx,” a commentary on issues of integrity in the workplace from a Christian perspective. To learn more about Integrity Resource Center or to sign up for Rick’s daily Integrity Moments, visit www.integrityresource.org.
