Where do we go from here?

Where do we go from here?

It isn't unusual to get so busy living your lives that you just expect things to continue as they always have. Sure, we all have ups and downs but in general, you usually see the small distractions and just keep moving. Then, it hits you from out of nowhere. A sudden death in the family, a job loss, a terminal diagnosis from the doctor, or really any devastating news. What do you do? Where do you go from here? How do you deal with it and how will it get better?

It happened to me this week. Early Monday, I was laid off from my job. I had seen the signs and fortunately, had started looking but it was still a shock. The funny thing about it is that I wasn't really that upset. I mean in over 30 years of full-time work, I have never been laid off and never been without a job. Now that I have a family and obligations, I admit it is scary but I trust God will put the right people and opportunities in my path to take me to the next part of my journey. What that will be, I don't know yet but I have to believe that had I not been saved and have a personal relationship with God, I would be much more stressed about it. I simply know God is in control and it will work out for my good.

What is so interesting is that as I have gotten older, I look at things differently. Sure, I see all the ways God has blessed me and my family. When I see where I am and where I came from, it is abundantly clear He is in charge. But what I saw today was how God himself must feel when one of his children is in pain. Because it was final exam week, my wife and I decided to wait until her exams were over to tell our daughter about my job. The last thing I wanted was for my job situation to be a distraction from her school work and grades. As I told her the news this afternoon, my heart ached for the pain the news gave her. Me? I had been fine and while disappointed, I really had not felt sad or even angry. However, watching my bright and beautiful daughter well up with tears brought me to my knees. Because we have never been through anything like this before, she didn't know how to react but you could tell is was like someone had kicked her in the gut. What did this mean for the family? What did this mean for her fall plans to attend college? How would this impact her life?

As I tried to comfort her, I thought this must be how God feels when one of us is hurt or in pain. We all know that to have true joy, you must occasionally feel pain. But as a father, I don't want to see my child suffer or be in pain and I want only the best for her. Isn't that how God feels about us? Isn't our Heavenly Father just as hurt when we are hurt? I am certain that is how this works. For God loves us as his children and if we are his children, then this is how he feels when we suffer. He also knows we have to go through the hard times to get us to the good times but I really don't believe He is happy until we are happy.

Now that we have the circumstances on the table, where do we go from here? Well, I don't have all of the answers but I do know that God makes a way where no one else can. Just like I told my daughter, I will do everything I can to make things work out, God too has told me that things will be okay. I don't know what that will look like but I trust Him to make the path clear and to put the right things before me to make it all work out. I still have to do my part. I have to look for work and I have to network with my contacts about finding something but I trust and believe that God will put the right people and circumstances in my path now to take me to the next level. I don't know what that will look like and I admit it is a little scary to think about. Still, having my personal relationship with God gives me the comfort and assurance that this is only a temporary setback. I know that one day soon, I will be promoted higher and that what I am going through wasn't really a setback but a setup for what is to come. 

Where do we go from here? I don't know but I do know that God will make it worthwhile!