There are certain times in life when change feels like a four-letter word. This change is thrust upon us, and we don’t have a choice in the matter. The most common ones could be losing a job involuntarily, the end of a marriage (which you may or may not have seen coming), a serious illness or, the death of a loved one.

When any of these scenarios occur, they make you question your life and your purpose in it. It will make you wonder what you did wrong or what is wrong with you.

Picture this: One morning you begin your day as normal; get up and get ready for the day, go to work, and then your boss invites you to a meeting. You are expecting it to be just you and your boss. You walk in and another supervisor is also there. Why is she there? You sit down, and before your mind can even start to wonder what is going on, they tell you they are letting you go. At this point, it doesn’t matter the reason. In your mind, you are thinking about how your life has changed in just one tiny moment. Even if you hated your job, your life has changed. And you have no control over any of it. This was not your choice.

When these choices are taken away from you, you start to question yourself. You question your self-worth, your value, the choices you made, and what you will do moving forward.

There are many emotions during these stages of change. Anger and frustration are only the beginning. The biggest challenge is to not stay in any of these stages for very long.

Back in 2009, during the recession, I was let go from my job. I was unemployed for 14 months. During that time, I made a lot of dumb choices but did my best based on the resources I had. There were times when I questioned everything about who I was. At that time, I did not have a relationship with God. The evil fed my depression, putting more negative thoughts in my head about how I was too inexperienced, that as a woman in construction, I was looked down upon and would be less likely to get the job. I questioned my self-worth and value, wondered whether I was in the right line of work.

Since then, I have been terminated from three jobs. But I have also gained a relationship with God. I have learned that He has always been guiding my career. He led me to certain jobs and certain people for a reason. I have viewed them all as stepping stones on the path of life.
There was a time when I quit Job A, moved on to Job B, only to be fired a few months later. This became a major turning point for me as it made me decide to go back to college and get a degree. God designed that.

Or when I left Job C to start at Job D. That lasted just a few months but then when I was involuntarily terminated from that job, I got another job where I had to move to a new city. It was just after I moved to that city where I met my husband and reconnected with God. God was leading me there. It was all part of His plan for my life – another stepping stone.

Three years ago I moved to another new city. God was in charge of all of it. I had a temporary job that led to, what I thought was, a permanent job that turned out to be temporary. Aside from 2008, I have never been out of a job for long. God has always made sure I was provided for.

During this new transition, I am going to focus on myself. I will use this time to focus on my physical and mental health, continue building my relationship with God and determine my next steps. I know, as always, God will lead me to where He wants me.

I also know there will be times when I will doubt myself, question my career choices, my self-worth and my abilities. During those times, I will also talk to my husband and friends who will remind me that I am loved, valued and respected no matter what job I have. As a friend reminded me – I am not defined by my job. My value doesn’t come from what I do. I am a child of God. I matter to him. He defines who I am.
The battle in my mind will happen. I will defend myself with the Word of God, relying on God’s faithfulness and provisions.

Since I originally drafted this blog, I prayed to God for direction, where to go with my career, my next purpose. He responded to that prayer, and I have now opened my own Health & Safety Consulting firm. I already have one client and hope to get many more in the new year.

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

II Corintians 9:8