November 12, 2018
In this morning’s Fruit of the Vine, Priscilla Hochhalter reflects on what it meant to lose her job before Thanksgiving a year ago: “I was called to a meeting room with Human Resources (a bad sign on a Friday!). My beloved but usually stoic boss, with tears in his eyes, said my role would be eliminated and not refilled.”
Priscilla was granted “a week to wrap up.... My CEO said I was a respected employee; he wanted to give me a party. But I didn’t want cake. I asked Human Resources to keep the layoff quiet until my last day, then shared sad goodbyes with the coworkers I’d loved so long.”
The truth is that “losing a job isn’t the worst thing that can happen,” Priscilla admits. “Other losses can be much worse ... but every loss leads to shock and grief.”
Also, loss is universal. It is part of the human experience. Priscilla offers five verses from 2 Corinthians 4 for when we experience loss:
8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Thank you, Priscilla for this reminder to fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. God, help us not to lose heart.
Eric Muhr
P.S. Seeds of hope is the three-year campaign to fund the ministry of Barclay Press by developing new titles, supporting small churches, and balancing the budget. In order to stay on target to meet our goal of $162,000 by December 31, 2020, we need to get to $54,000 by the end of this year. As of this morning, we have raised $35,939 in gifts and pledges.
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