‘We’re terminating your position effective…’ I half tuned out.
Laid off!
I was being asked to leave my job because in efforts to cut costs (aka salaries) they were eliminating positions across the country. I was presented with two options:
- Leave that day, with a severance package.
- Work for another number of weeks equivalent to the amount of my severance package. I was promised time off for job interviews outside the company.
It’s nothing personal, my director offered in cheap reassurance. They just saw a list of names and picked yours.
Inwardly, I rolled my eyes. It’s one thing to feel like an unknown employee. To hear it verbalized by management made it worse.
This reminds me of another who was asked to leave under a better set of circumstances.
God told Abram “Leave.” Leave the coziness of home and go to foreign territory. At this point, he wasn’t even given the name of his new town—he would be shown where to go. God didn’t leave him hopeless, feeling unwanted or unappreciated. There were great blessings ahead of Abram, which were described for him so that he knew the conditions of his leaving.
I made the decision to stay and work through my severance. Partway through, the company retracted the termination notice and decided to keep me my position. There was no apology or retribution for what had happened. It didn’t make me feel any more welcome or valued there. It was simply more convenient for my position to remain at our local office, rather than the head office, which was in another province.
Abram chose to take God at His word and follow blindly. He packed up his family and his possessions and left. There were struggles along the way—Abram’s life wasn’t lived perfectly. His gracious God blessed him regardless, because He had promised so from the very beginning.
“Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you.” –Deut 31:6 (the Message)
God never leaves us! People may leave us or ask us to leave them. Emotions will be mixed with confusion and uncertainty as we pack up our things. But we must remember that God is right beside us through the entire process.
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I’m linking up with Kate today in the Five-Minute Friday community.