Redundancy - A Christian Perspective

  “The Company must maintain its viability by reducing costs – and that means, I’m afraid, that we have to dispense with your services. We’re very sorry, but if it wasn’t for the poor prevailing economic conditions, things may be very different”

A relatively short sentence which hit Steve Kingsley like a sledge hammer. “Why me Lord? Why?” he asked himself. “Couldn’t it have been someone else?”  Then he got back into his car and began to pray about it. Had he been so bad? Had his sins been so deplorable that he had to face taking his family through potential hardship?

“Why me Lord why? Why have you done this to me?”

He had to drive two and a half hours before he could reach the solace of his home and the comforting arms of his wife and children… so he had time to think….

He recalled a book that he had read. 'The Shack' recounts the heartache of 'Mac' at a time when he felt God had deserted him. It relates how he is guided to put his trust in God despite his devastation and hard times. It demonstrates that working through issues together with God, rather than maintaining a state of distant independence from Him, changes everything.

The book relates the many dialogues that take place between Mac and the persons of the Blessed Trinity……It is enthralling, enlightening and comforting – but one message stands loud and proud above the rest

“Put your trust in me, surrender to me, obey me and abide in me”.

As Steve recalled this message, he felt calm, collected, and cosseted in the arms of God.  And so the long and arduous job of finding work began and Steve has to do his bit – He can’t leave it all to God but he knows that God guides him and will not let him down.

Steve has had times where of despair where worry hits him like a wall. But those are the times when he prays. He put his faith back in God and He helps Steve through another day.  Many people help Steve and pray for him with some providing the following thoughts:

“A test of a Christian's character is what he does after he comes to the blockade in the road and what his attitude is after everything has left him except Jesus”.

“You will never know down here that Christ is all you need until Christ is all you have left”.

And one very perceptive young man said “God parted the Red Sea – what makes you think that he won’t find you a job?”

Through all of this Steve knows that Jesus was not instrumental in his redundancy. Jesus is there to redeem it. He is there to help Steve to gain worthwhile employment and His will be done.  “I don’t blame Him; I don’t blame anybody. But I trust in Him, I surrender my life to Him, I listen for His commands which I obey, and above all I maintain a constant dialogue with Him”.

This article was originally featured on the Transform Work UK website and is used with permission.