Tag Archives: doubt

Hope In A Hopeless World: One Thing You Should Consider During the Low Times of Your Job Search

Photo by photojordi
Photo by photojordi

There she sat in her in her silk blouse and pink wool skirt, feeling her worst but looking her best. She doesn’t mention what age she was as she recounts this story but seems to be in her mid twenties.

Pop artist/songwriter/author Margaret Becker has been nominated for four Grammys, won four Dove Awards, and has had 21 number one radio hits. But despite her commanding talent and noteworthy career success, she endured dry, discouraging, desperate times like you and me.

Further, this excerpt from a chapter in her book With New Eyes doesn’t even mention that she was told at a young age by her voice teacher that she wasn’t a good singer and never would be!

Resuming the story, we read that she was at a confusing dark time in her life. After much prayer and following God earnestly, she felt as if she had hit a glass ceiling. She couldn’t move forward with her dream of singing, writing, and performing. And despite her job search efforts, she couldn’t get a position that would allow her to move out of her parents’ home. Worse, she felt as if her prayers were not falling on deaf ears—that feeling of “God, are you there; can you hear me—and will you ever help me?” we all experience at times.

Her best friend Scott, put her in touch with Dr. Breene, a teacher from his college. As she sat tight in the waiting room thinking over her situation and what she’d say to such a wise and learned man, she fought back emotion but also considered just bailing on the meeting. But she mustered courage, entered his office, and told her story. Margaret was seeking encouragement, hope, explanation, and more than anything, a way to break through, to end this anguish.

I love Dr. Breene’s response. It’s one I couldn’t have anticipated and makes me think of a crucible. He told her that despite his empathy and desire to ease her mind, that he was only a man and that this time in her life was for a season, to refine her—a stop on the way to a higher place in her career, artistry, life, and relationship with God.

Dr. Breene felt he should not interfere so that God could produce out of this difficulty what he wanted in Margaret. He told her to wrestle with this time, to pray that God give her the strength to endure since it was his great love for her that was allowing it.

As two tears escaped her eyes, she took it in and left feeling not like everything was fine, but that she had direction, that she no longer had one foot nailed to the floor. Knowing there was more “surgery” on her character and mind to come, she left emotional but with hope for healing and vision for recovery.

I’m sure it wasn’t the comforting directional meeting she’d sought or expected, but this time in her life DID come to an end, and she was stronger for it…like (as she mentions) a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. If a birthing larvae is assisted with its liberation, while fully formed and beautiful, it’s wings would be useless, not having endured the stress of the struggle that forces enough blood into them so they unfurl strong and functional.

As I’ve said many times before, career transition is one of the most difficult—and usually painful—times in a job seeker’s life, regardless of his or her position or field. If you can relate to this story, be encouraged.

Know that Kelly Clarkson was right when she sang, “What doesn’t kill ya makes ya stronger.” Know that it will take some time and diligence, but this season will pass. It’s not IF you will ever find that next right job, but a matter of WHEN. And this crucible of time, doubts, fears, and refining will yield a better, stronger you. Remember what you’ve accomplished thus far; move forward with hope and press on.


Please experience Margaret audibly by listening to this song from her album What Kind of Love.

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Smarter than the Disciples

Are we smarter than the Disciples from the Bible? Faith and career transition go hand in hand. Realize that God cares about this season of your life. Faith, hope, provision, care, encouragement, job search, transition, Jesus, doubt, disciples
Photo by Caulton Morris

I don’t think I’ve yet mentioned why this blog sways spiritual. Losing your job is one of the most significant negative events you can experience. To say the time between then and landing your next job is a challenge, is an understatement. Since most of us draw the majority of our identity from our work, a season of job searching can break you down to the core of who you are since you don’t have a traditional job. (I can’t say you don’t have a job since looking for your next position is quite a job!)

This time will cause you to question yourself. You will have your fair share of pity parties and may experience depression. Career transition–even if you DO have a job now and are seeking another–is rarely easy. I always say it’s a season that can turn you to God. Not to bash anyone, but I don’t know how those who don’t have a personal relationship with God (and have him to turn to) make it through the process. Scripture, my friends, the literature I read, and being able to be real, raw, honest with, and dependant on God give me strength during these periods of career transition.

Recently I visited Crosspoint Church here in Nashville. The pastor’s sermon that day made me think of one of those “Ah ha!” moments I had during grad school. My Sunday School teacher, Brent Funderburke, was amazing. I even had him as a professor for a watercolor class one semester.

One Sunday our topic was how Jesus fed five thousand people who came to hear him speak. Mark 6:30-44 talks about how the disciples were incredulous as to how they were to accomplish Jesus’ directive to “give them something to eat.”

I thought, “Pfff, these guys! Just a few chapters back, they watched Jesus calm a massive storm on the sea, heal a demon-possessed man, and raise a girl from the dead! Here they are worried about some food, and they can’t even think outside the box to ask Jesus to use his power to help them.

Then it dawned on me…don’t we do the same thing?! We can look back now at the times He provided (sometimes not like we expected or wanted), pulled us through, healed, encouraged, etc. but still allow exactly the same kind fear or myopia to settle in.

The morning I visited Crosspoint, Pete, the pastor there, told the story of how God brought he and his pastor friend to listen to and encourage a woman on the beach in the Dominican Republic. (You can read his story at this page of his blog.)

Tears welled up in my eyes when Pete drew it all together and made his point. Even though there are, have been, and will be millions of human beings on this earth and even though sometimes we feel like He has turned a deaf ear to our plight, the God of the universe notices, hears, cares, and acts. Yes, even all the way down to you and your situation.

So, be encouraged. Don’t forget. Stay connected—if you have a church home, don’t neglect attending during this time so He can encourage you. Read the book He gave us.

A great book I’m reading, broken out into daily sections, is Rick Pritikin’s Why Did I Lose My Job If God Loves Me? His writing is transparent and uplifting, drawn from his own experience. I appreciate the stories he includes from his difficult season of career transition. You can click on the image below to check it out at Amazon.

Blessings to you in your search. Keep up the hard but good work. Use your time wisely. Keep a positive attitude—it will show! Be thankful about the good things and what you have, and press on.

A friend sent me this prayer he ran across, author unknown, so I wanted to share it in closing…

God, our Father, I turn to you seeking your divine help and guidance as I look for suitable employment. I need your wisdom to guide my footsteps along the right path, and to lead me to find the proper things to say and do in this quest. I wish to use the gifts and talents you have given me, but I need the opportunity to do so with gainful employment. Do not abandon me, dear Father, in this search, but rather grant me this favor I seek so that I may return to you with praise and thanksgiving for your gracious assistance. Grant this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.