Finding God In UnemploymentНамуна

Is This Your Story?

Keri Anguiano writes about her continual difficulty finding work: “Nobody would have been able to foresee that I would be 28 years old with a master’s, several certificates to my name, four children, and no job…Every year I have to find a new job. The form letter I get each May tells me there is simply not enough money to keep me as a teacher, and they are sorry to have to let me go. The next few months are full of humbling moments, standing in line for Food Stamps, applying for government insurance, and using every waking moment filling out applications.”

This has been many people’s story, particularly since the economic downturn of the late 2000s. Some have been laid off from jobs after years of faithful service. Others are worried technology will steal the jobs that remain. Meanwhile, pundits bicker as to why, if the economy is recovering, people still don’t seem to be back at work.

Perhaps you opened this reading plan because you’re unemployed, and you wonder where God is in your situation. Maybe you’ve been laid off and are searching for a job. Or you’ve been laid off and you’re not searching. Over the next six days, you’ll read some of God’s guidance for the unemployed and be reminded that God’s grace strengthens us even in the difficulties of unemployment.

Prayer

Lord, I don’t always see where you are leading me, but I trust that your promises for me are true and you will bring good out of every circumstance. Comfort me in times of despair, and help me lean on your everlasting arms. Amen.

Further Exploration

Click to read the rest of Keri Anguiano’s reflection on the difficulty of finding work.