Embracing the Desert: The Gifts of Unemployment

In these days of high unemployment, almost no one feels really safe in his or her job. Along with job insecurity, we can feel the vulnerability of what a job loss might mean to our ability to make our mortgage or car payment and ultimately to have financial control over our lives.

This abiding sense of uncertainty offers us new eyes through which to see the biblical image of the desert. Like our current job climate, the ancient desert brought forth feelings of fear and vulnerability. But much like that same image of the desert in Scripture, it is precisely that uncertainty that can hold within it a powerful place for a renewed encounter with God.

Looking for work, like wandering in the desert, is seldom a pleasant experience. However, in the biblical stories, the desert itself provides an opportunity for learning, trust, and growth. Using the scriptural image as a guide, perhaps our current job loss, job search, or job insecurity can lead us to a deeper experience of the Love that promises never to abandon us or leave us alone.