Laid Off…Again
Dear Judy, I was recently laid off…again. This time it’s tougher to find another job because there are fewer of them, plus I’m over 65. I don’t have good enough retirement to not work and Social Security doesn’t cut it. Last week someone said to me, “Do you think your age has anything to do with your not finding work?” I hadn’t even considered that because I don’t feel old and I’m healthy! Yikes. He’s right. Who wants to hire a 68-year-old??? Now I feel more scared. What if I don’t find work? What if…. All my life I’ve worked, since I was 13. I guess I took my identity from my jobs. My sense of worth. My value. Now, I feel like a has-been. Now what? Some days I just want to stay in bed and sleep all day.
Dear Valued One!
Getting laid off might have caught you by surprise, but not your Lord. Take comfort in that! Still, getting laid off is tough and it is happening to a lot of people. You did not say if you are a Christian or not. If you are not, then I am afraid you only have the job market and this economy to rely on which is very shaky indeed!
If you are a Christian, you know you have the Lord Jesus Christ on your side. He is the One you need to be taking your identify from, not a job! Get in the Bible which is full of promises for us to claim. Hebrews 13:5-6 says, “…be content with such things as you have. For He Himself [Jesus] has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’”
Isaiah 46:4 is one of my favorites: “Even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.” This speaks to me about a God who knows my needs and has handled every single thing that affects me. And about your age, remember that with age come experience, wisdom and knowledge.
As we get older we need to slow down a bit, but if you need to continue working, I believe the Lord will open the doors for you. It may take a little longer, but trust Him in this. Don’t give up. The Lord wants His children to be successful and to prosper. He knows what we need even before we know we need it!
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