One of my good friends lost his job today. Wonder why we call it that? He didn't lose anything - it isn't missing or tucked between the sofa cushions or waiting on the baggage carousel at the wrong airport. The job is not lost - but I feel like I am.
You see, my friend and I share the same employer, so in the interest of maintaining my own household income, I must refrain from writing what I really think about this situation. Suffice to say that it would include an abundance of expletives and exclamation points.
But here's the thing; there is much to be gained from the blindside shots that all of us experience. A lost job, a sick spouse, a wayward child, an unexpected death...how we perceive these things is how we will live with them.
I am by nature an overt hand-wringer; I could teach advanced placement courses in histrionics. I must admit to throwing a small private conniption fit when I first heard the news this morning - but then I prayed.
Scoff if you must, but my soul settled down and I felt God's presence. He reminded me that His ways are not my ways, and He assured me that the plans He has for my friend are wonderful. Looking out the window at a misty fall sunrise, I realized that the unpleasant surprises in my own life have immediately preceded some of my happiest and fulfilling experiences.
My friend did not lose his job - his position was eliminated so that God can lead him into the next chapter of his story.
We only "lose" something when we leave faith out of the equation. Without faith, we are all lost.
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