So many things that happen in our lives are outside of our control. Today one of those life events hit several people that I have come to care for very deeply. Ten people at my work were laid off – unexpectedly. Well, I say unexpectedly, but the truth is, after a merger, it really isn’t all THAT unexpected. Two departments were duplicated elsewhere in the parent company, and because of that duplication, these departments were let go. When you see people nearly every day for ten years, they become like family, and their departure hurts, no way around it.
I wondered if something was going on. Yesterday, there was someone here from the HR department of the parent company, and she was behind closed doors with our HR person. I saw them carrying a stack of file folders, which today I know represented the people who were going to be terminated. I’m not proud when I say that I spent much of the night worrying if my name was on that list – or that felt a tremendous relief when I realized that my job is safe, for now, anyway.
So this has been a very stressful couple of days. Did I worry? Yes. Did I pray? Absolutely – pretty much all night long. And here’s the big question: Did I turn to food for comfort? Or to forget? Or to ease the pain? I DID NOT! A couple of times I thought about food – but ultimately I remembered that I would not feel better if I stuffed my face. The fears would not go away; the pain would not diminish. And I triumphed! At any other point in my life, the FIRST place I would have turned would have been the refrigerator or the pantry. Last night, I didn’t eat anything more than I would have normally eaten. HURRAY! Maybe, just maybe, I’m getting the hang of this.
When I came in this morning, I was resigned to whatever happened, although I must admit that I was expecting to be laid off. I believe that my God is BIGGER than this – and that He will take care of me, even when I don’t see how that is possible. He knows my needs – long before I’m even aware of them, and He loves me enough to take care of those needs, in His way and in His timing! So, I was braced for the worst, and I know that if it had come, He would be there right beside me – all the way through it to the other side.
My heart aches for those people who were dismissed today. I believe that our company did everything they could to ease things for these people: A decent severance package; information and contacts on finding new jobs; and assuring them that this wasn’t anything concerning job performance. That doesn’t make it any easier for these people – and I am surrounding them with prayers, as they make this transition. Their lives were turned upside down in a matter of minutes. They have to pick up the pieces. They have to file for unemployment, look for a new job, and wonder about things like finances and insurance in very difficult economic times. For those of still here, we have been instructed to go about our business as usual, without congregating and working the “rumor mill.” And we have been forcibly reminded that there are no guarantees, so I imagine that we will all be working a little harder – and looking over our shoulders a little more.
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