To Stephen in Chicago

Michael, I just got laid off from my job, and it feels like everything I built over the last four years got swept away in a single moment — like I am stripped down to nothing, and I don’t know what’s left.

Stephen,

I can feel the ground shaking under you. Your not alone, I have been there and so have lots of people who are there with you right now, today. You gave your best: to a school that needed you, to students who saw your heart. And then the rug got pulled. That’s not just unemployment; that feels like betrayal. But hear me: this does not define your value nor your worth. The world is broken, and sometimes the faithful get burned. But that doesn’t make your work meaningless. It means it was sacrificial, it was, it is Christlike.

You’re spiraling because your purpose was tied to a system that didn’t see the full picture. But God did and does. He does His best work in the wilderness — and this layoff may be the threshing floor where He reveals something deeper, stronger, more lasting. Grieve. Breathe. Don’t listen to the voice of anxiety that causes you to fear the future. Listen to the voice of God that says, Isaiah 41:10:

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Don’t lose the fire in your bones. The teacher in you isn’t finished. He’s just been set free. Get your resume together, get on the phone and start making those call to the people in your network. send out the emails. Stand tall, put your shoulders back, and dip your heart down low and trust that God will help you and strengthen you.

Stay standing. I’m with you.
— Michael Vowell

Helpful Links for You Stephen

A Resume-Building Resource

Coping with Job Loss

Threshing Floor Letters

Develop A Coach Plan