Time out!
As disquieting as it is, unemployment offers you a window of opportunity that you would normally not have. When we are working hard at a job, whatever it may be, all our time and energy go into just keeping up. Once we lose our position, we suddenly have time and energy to spare. Most folks don’t know what to do with it. They stall out, and their emotions turn to fear, worry and anger. Although this is normal, eventually you must realize that you have a window into your life you did not have before.
This is the hour to ask, What do I want my life to be like from here on? What gifts has God given me that I didn’t have an opportunity to exercise before? What was stopping me from doing what I really wanted to do? What am I learning about myself through this job loss that I didn’t know (or didn’t want to know) before? What do I really want to do with my life?
Once you land your next job, this window will close. You will again be busy with your work responsibilities and day-to-day cares. You won’t see your life quite this way again. As hard as it is to lose your job, it’s harder to find genuine opportunities to take stock of who you are and where you want to go. After a job loss, you are motivated to see clearly and honestly — perhaps for the first time in years.
Your assignment right now isn’t merely to search for financial security in a new job. Rather, it’s to once again discover who you are, ascertain what God has created you to do, then find freedom and a renewed sense of purpose in doing it. People wonder how they get stuck in ruts along the way, why they have lost their sense of passion, or why they are secretly bored. Perhaps your job loss is God’s way of helping you find a better path.