The Blessing of Unemployment
When I first entered the workforce I thought it would be an easy route. As an actress, I would get an agent, go to a few auditions, get my first role and become a famous actress. Sounds simple, I know. And while that worked for so many of my friends, it was not quite what God had in mind for me. In fact, He was gearing me up to do freelance work in other areas (a word He gave years ago that I conveniently forgot). Over the last three years I have wrestled with God, hardened my hard and I have had to get over offense because my life was not turning out the why I thought it would. I have had to abandon my dreams to make space for what God has for me.
Psalm 27 says, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take courage, and wait for the Lord.”
What does that even mean, am I right? When we see scriptures like that, we often hope to see point by point instructions on how to live that out. How do I “wait” when someone, seemingly less qualified than me, got the job I wanted? How do I “wait” when it has already been years of unemployment? We want specifics. But that’s not how God works. In fact, waiting looks different in every season. Sometimes it means to go about life as is, until the Lord moves. Other times, the Holy Spirit will share instructions as time goes on. This is what keeps being in relationship with Jesus so exciting. Because ultimately, we are not waiting for our next breakthrough, we are not waiting for our dreams and desires to be fulfilled. We are waiting to see what God will say and do next. Waiting need not be passive, but it is vital that we are pursuing the right things, otherwise it can become a waste. This is a wonderful opportunity to simply take a breath and let go of any expectations hovering over our heads.
Expectations can so often drive a wedge between us and God, because we expect God to work how we want Him to and to follow our timeline. But God is sovereign, he is almighty and all powerful. He does as he pleases. Because of his grace and desire to have relationship with us, he shares his plans with us and invites us to partner with Him. Let’s not be so consumed by your own plans that we miss what God is saying. And trust me he is speaking. He waits for us to draw near to him, then He whispers.
Unfortunately, the world is not as kind and honourable, so it yells and screams demands at us. We open social media only to see someone we once did a group project with, miles ahead of us in their career. This stirs up resentment and envy in our hearts and we forget how far God has actually brought us. We forget the good work He has done in our lives and sometimes we even forget the promises He made. We have to lay down our own, as well as others’ expectations of our lives to be able to receive from God.
A few days ago, I realized that I am so concerned with what others are thinking of me. If they are wondering what I’m up to and why I have not achieved certain things yet. But the truth is they probably think about me once every few months (because that’s how often I post on Instagram), but God’s thoughts about me cannot be numbered (Psalm 139:17). Am I not to be more concerned with that? Instead of trying to impress others, I should be focused on pleasing God. The amazing thing is that God wants to share those thoughts with us, but it becomes difficult for us to hear him when our minds are filled with the noise of other people’s assumptions and opinions.
Therefore we have to surrender. Our expectations, our goals, our fears and everything else preventing us from hearing God. When we surrender, we have to trust that He is bigger and better than whatever He is asking us to give up. We have to believe that He will fill that void with more of Himself. Loved one, be assured that he will turn ashes into beauty, because of His faithfulness. It might not look and feel like you have always hoped and dreamed, but it will be better than your wildest fantasies.
Don’t get me wrong, work is from God. The command was given long before the fall, which means God created us to work on this earth. So how do we justify unemployment? How to find redemption in a season where we are forced to go against our nature? The answer: rest. Another crucial part of life. Resting in God’s presence creates space for Him to speak without having to compete with other voices. It brings clarity to our minds, invites peace into our hearts and gives us the courage to walk into a new season refreshed, when the time arrives. While unemployment may be one of the most turbulent seasons we can find ourselves in, God has the power to turn it into something beautiful and fruitful, if we let him.
