Secure

So for the past three weeks I’ve been attending a free “Getting The Most Out of Your Resumé” class at a local church. And although I’m self employed, I figured it would be a good way to get out of my apartment, meet some new people and, on a self-serving note, get to learn firsthand what H.R. folks look for during an interview. (Here’s a hint: Don’t lie, they know when you’re lying. And wear clean clothes.)

Most of the people in this class are currently unemployed (including one of the H.R. presenters) while others were afraid of being down-sized in the near future. Some had made peace with their situation and were trying to move on while others, well, you could just see the fear in their eyes. The “what am I going to do?” fear wrangling them in its grip.

And you know there are hundreds of classes just like that one going on every night across the U.S. And they’re filled to capacity with people who are looking for some shred of hope to cling to. Real, honest stories. Like the guy told me he’d made a six figure salary “easy” for the past five years, but this year he’ll be lucky to clear $30k. Another woman who told me she’d sent out scores of resumés but hadn’t had a single response.

Keep in mind all I wanted to do was get some insights from H.R. folks, get my resumé evaluated by a professional and network with some of the presenters. That’s it. But I quickly found out (like in the first half hour of the first session) that I needed to put “me” aside and focus on helping others.

Times are hard and I’m not immune to them either, but hearing the stories and sensing the fear some of my classmates are living with made the walk home from class difficult. I’d end up spending the time praying for people like Ann, the single mom of four who’s returning to the workforce after a 10-year absence. Or Monte a customer service rep whose company went through cutbacks and was let go. Or Rob who has done almost everything in the financial sector and now he’s just trying to figure out what it is he wants to do in life. For him, it’s not about the big salary or the corner office, it’s about doing something he enjoys and in his words, “live more, you know?”. Sure do, Rob.

And here’s the thing, each night while walking back home, I’d be praying for Ann or Monte or Rob or George or “God, I forgot the guy’s name, but you know who I’m talking about...” and it became less and less about me and more and more about what I could do for them.

On the walk home last night, I had an urging to read Hebrews. Now understand I don’t read Hebrews. I wasn’t even sure if it was in the New or Old Testament (it’s New Testament by the way). But I felt that nudge to dive into it and see what I could find. Below is the scripture that not only jumped out at me, but was actually underlined in my Bible. I don’t read Hebrews. I don’t mark up my Bible. But there, marked in Hebrews, was the following passage:

Hebrews 10:23-25 – Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Could you use a little “unswerving hope” right now? If so that’s my prayer for you and whatever you’re going through right now. Unemployment. Underemployment. Health issues. Marital issues. “Life” issues. Whatever.

One, that you never, ever swerve from God because He is faithful. Two, that you encourage others in love. And three, that you link arms with other Christians and keep each other moving forward and remind each other who we are in Christ. That we can “do all things in Him”. That He does come through for us – each of us – every time.

Which is exactly the God-inspired encouragement we need in times like these.