February 1, 2010 On Leaving a Management Job (Final)

Colossians 1:9-12: … we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.  [NRSV]

As we move on in our journey through life–discovering our path–we may find it appropriate to leave a manage­ment job.  Although we may have left several jobs over the course of our career, we may now be leaving a large-scale, relatively powerful position. Maybe we were a partner in a law firm, or an executive with a large company.  We may leave for family reasons; we may be forced to leave, due to merger, acquisition, downsizing or layoff.  Or we may leave because we want work that is more meaningful, more spiritually-centered, work that allows more balance in our lives.  We may leave because we are burned out, or tired of the politics, or the glass ceiling. The content of the work may now bore us to death.  For any of these reasons, we are leaving a job that has attached to it certain privileges, perks and conveniences.

The perks we are saying good-bye to may range from stock options to parking spaces, but they are signs of a changed station in life.  Other perks, such as having a secretary or health insurance, cause us to work differently.  Suddenly, we may need to follow up on promises or send out invoices ourselves.  We may have to purchase insurance, develop marketing plans for a new business or run copies for ourselves.  In other words, we will have to pay for some things for the first time in our lives, and we will have to do things that a legion of minions, hidden in the corporate world or sitting outside our office, used to do for us.

We need to be prepared to grieve the changes, and to welcome the opportunities for learning.

We need to recognize that the change will not to be easy, although there may be a honeymoon period during which we are really, really glad the hassles are behind us.  We need to be prepared for the transition time.  The conversion from regular paycheck to occasional work can be trying for the hard-chargers among us who have always measured ourselves by our annual salary.  For those who move from a big job to a little one, perhaps in order to work for our church or a non-profit organization, the difference in the size of the paycheck can be astounding.  And if we are starting a business, the reality of “cash flow” as a problem can be paralyzing.

As we have become more spiritual, we have to understand the spiritual reality of moving away from all that we have known and going into the unknown.  There may well be very trying times where we lose our spiritual compass, lose our trust in God, or lose our faith that we will be taken care of. We might become very competitive, we might be tempted to “fudge” or lie to clients or vendors.  In short, this transition can create a dark night for our souls.

However, challenging times can always result in growth—if we let it.  Times like these give us the opportunity to learn the lessons we need to in order to move on.  Our control issues, which were nicely hidden (thank you) in big jobs, come out full-force when we are insecure because of change.  Our sense of time changes dramatically:  we become acutely sensitive to time when we are waiting to hear from future employers, clients, buyers, investors or others. We are not used to having the time to go to the gym, catch up on reading or correspondence, bake or be with children.  When we do not know what the future will bring, or–more specifically–when that future will arrive, we forget that we are the reflection of divine light.  We need to live in the unknowing.  We do not like doing that. And so we are cranky, or in overdrive, don’t sleep, challenge the spending of every penny, or start to indulge in our addictions—a chocolate fudge sundae, anyone?

To ignore the change in circumstances is to ignore reality.  It is good to mourn the past, at least briefly.  But by focusing on the future, we can proceed on our path.

Rather than praying for certain outcomes (“Please, God, I just need this one contract to come through!”), we need to pray for the lessons to be learned.  The outcome will take care of itself.   For example, rather than praying to get a certain project or piece of work, our prayer needs to be that we always be grateful and ready to learn from life.  Such a prayer allows us to see that Divine Right Action is always at work in our lives.  Divine Right Action is the presence of God in our lives…even in the mysteries and challenges we face. In other words, it is not time to see this development as a punishment from God; no, God is always there and present in our lives, even when it is hard to see his face.

If we are very used to a structured life, and now have unstructured time at home, we need to pray for the skills, abilities and talents to live in an unstructured world. We may impose certain structures in the form of routines; we may also learn to float through time for a while. 

If we are changing jobs, or beginning to free-lance, we need to pray for strength.  If I submit a bid for a particular job, I do not pray to get it.  Rather, I pray to be ready and grateful for the right work for me.  Not getting a particular job does not mean the end of the world; rather, it creates an opportunity to be available for something else, or to do other work.  More will be revealed as time goes on. 

If we have moved to more meaningful work, the power and prestige we left behind still may tempt us.  We need to pray for the strength of our conviction. We need to devote real energy to our new work to learn if this is where we belong.  Short-circuiting that process will do us no good.

It is necessary to be in tune with our God, and pray for knowledge of God’s will for us in this time.  We pray so that our path can be revealed to us. We pray that we make the appropriate decisions regarding that path and that we interpret the signs appropriately; that we serve others, love others and walk humbly with our God.   We need to ask that our faith not be shaken in the face of the apparent adversity or major change.

Prayer on Leaving a Management Job

Lord and Giver of Life, you know that I am facing a transition.  You also know I do not handle the uncertainties of life with the aplomb that I wish I had.  So please guide me so that I do not miss the lessons and opportunities you present to me.  Help me to see the apparent setbacks as part of your divine plan for me.  Help me to release the blocks that hold me back from realizing every opportunity that you present to me.  Help me to grow during this stage, and to become the person I want to be. And while all this wonderfulness is going on, please help me not to be jealous of those whose lives seem to be easier than mine.  I am your unique creature; I am your Love.  Help me to know this fact and dispel any temptations I have to think anything else.  Amen.

Essay and Prayer by Kathleen Whiteside Langdon