Job loss but life gain...

Six months ago, I started my day like every other day.  I had no expectations of anything big happening.  I anticipated working and going home like every other work day, one of hundreds over the last four years.

But it was not any other day, after all.  Like so many people, I lost my job that day due to a change in direction of the small business where I was employed.  And, although I probably should have seen it coming, I didn't, so it was a punch in the gut to hear the words that ultimately meant I would have to make a big change in my life.

It is easy, at those times, to feel like a failure, even if its not personal.  You see a door slamming closed, (honestly, it felt more like a brick wall slamming me to the ground,) as you realize that your entire life will have to change and transition is coming, whether you wanted it to or not.  It is difficult to look upwards when your world is tumbling around your feet.

But life goes on.  And eventually, you have to pick up your spirits and figure out how to move forward.  After a week of moping and coming to grips with it all, I realized that there may just be an opportunity in this change, not only for me, but also for my employers, who are dear friends, as well.  It was a big risk, it was a huge life change, but it was also a chance to take my life in a new and more positive direction.

After a lot of speedy discussion with my husband, our banker, and my employers, my husband and I decided to buy out the part of the business that I most enjoy, leaving my employer with the part of the business they most enjoy, a split that would benefit all of us and give each of us something better than what we had before.  Instead of limiting the options, we could expand in ways that we would all benefit, and have more time to do the things we wanted to better than before.

What had appeared to be a huge closed door turned out to be a tiny window, and when I looked a little closer, it opened wide to a new opportunity.  My employees and I have expanded and learned new ways to work together, and it has been fun, even as it has been a challenge.

Life is so often like that.  We look at the immediate moment and think that is all there is.  But God has bigger ideas.  He knows our talents and our skills and our potential, and he finds ways to expand our lives to fulfill those gifts he has given us.

Today I am grateful for the job loss that led to a new phase in my life.  In Romans 8:28 God has promised that he will "make all things work for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."  As I cling to that promise each day, I see the truth of it, even in the hard times.