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Sweet Providences and Blessings From the Past Few Days… » « Bigger and Bigger

March 8th, 2008 Laid off

Posted by Jay at 1:46 pm

I was laid off Thursday by Alcatel-Lucent. At one level, I’ve known this was a very real possibility for some time now. It still came as a shock, and the initial information given me regarding the package was quite ugly. By Friday, however, I had a complete picture and was glad to discover the package was actually very equitable. So I’ve got some time to find another job.

Thursday was spent dealing with the initial emotions and panic. I was walked within an hour of being notified, sans my laptop and phone (both owned by my employer). I still have three boxes to unpack. Friday gave me a chance to work through the details of the package, talk a good bit to HR, and begin the slash and burn of our ongoing expenses.

By Friday evening I had also figured out that I did not want to put my job search at risk by performing it from the kitchen (where our home computer resides). I immediately began looking for a good deal on a phone and laptop, both of which I purchased on Saturday, after having a long discussion with my daughter about the concept of “it takes money to make money” to give her the chance to understand why I was spending money on a computer while cutting all sorts of other costs.

I’m now sitting at a table in our local library using their free wifi with my new laptop writing this post, listening to Royal Hunt and other obscure euro-metal bands on Pandora Radio. I’ve got a rough cut resume done, and an ever-growing checklist of stuff to do (sign the termination package, send in laptop rebate, etc.). My goal is to enjoy a day of rest and worship tomorrow, and then spend Monday morning putting together a job search strategy, as well as starting to tackle that checklist.

I leave you with the Psalm that came to mind for myself and Tricia (independently, I might add) on Thursday, and then showed up in an email to me from one of the deacons at our church the next day.

Psalm 37 [show]<div class="esv"><h2>Psalm 37 <object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.esvapi.org/assets/play.swf?myUrl=hw%2F19037001-19037040" width="40" height="12" class="audio"><param name="movie" value="http://www.esvapi.org/assets/play.swf?myUrl=hw%2F19037001-19037040" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /></object></h2> <div class="esv-text"><h3 id="p19037001.01-1">He Will Not Forsake His Saints</h3> <h4 class="psalm-title" id="p19037001.07-1"> <a href="#f1" id="b1" title="This psalm is an acrostic poem, each stanza beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet">[1]</a> Of David.</h4> <div class="block-indent"> 37:1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! 2 For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. 3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. <a href="#f2" id="b2" title="Or 'and feed on faithfulness', or 'and find safe pasture'">[2]</a> 4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. 7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! 8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. 9 For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. 10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. 11 But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. 12 The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, 13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming. 14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright; 15 their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. 16 Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked. 17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. 18 The Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever; 19 they are not put to shame in evil times; in the days of famine they have abundance. 20 But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away. 21 The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives; 22 for those blessed by the Lord <a href="#f3" id="b3" title="Hebrew 'by him'">[3]</a> shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off. 23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; 24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand. 25 I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. 26 He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing. 27 Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever. 28 For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. 29 The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever. 30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. 31 The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip. 32 The wicked watches for the righteous and seeks to put him to death. 33 The Lord will not abandon him to his power or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial. 34 Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off. 35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree. <a href="#f4" id="b4" title="The identity of this tree is uncertain">[4]</a> 36 But he passed away, <a href="#f5" id="b5" title="Or 'But one passed by'">[5]</a> and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found. 37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace. 38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off. 39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. 40 The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him. (<a href="http://www.esv.org" class="copyright">ESV</a>) </div> </div> <div class="footnotes"> <h3>Footnotes</h3> <a href="#b1" id="f1">[1]</a> 37:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each stanza beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet <a href="#b2" id="f2">[2]</a> 37:3 Or and feed on faithfulness, or and find safe pasture <a href="#b3" id="f3">[3]</a> 37:22 Hebrew by him <a href="#b4" id="f4">[4]</a> 37:35 The identity of this tree is uncertain <a href="#b5" id="f5">[5]</a> 37:36 Or But one passed by </div> </div>

Of David.

Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.

The wicked plots against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him,
but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his day is coming.

The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose way is upright;
their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.

Better is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.

The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will remain forever;
they are not put to shame in evil times;
in the days of famine they have abundance.

But the wicked will perish;
the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.

The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
but the righteous is generous and gives;
for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.

The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
when he delights in his way;
though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the Lord upholds his hand.

I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging for bread.
He is ever lending generously,
and his children become a blessing.

Turn away from evil and do good;
so shall you dwell forever.
For the Lord loves justice;
he will not forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
The righteous shall inherit the land
and dwell upon it forever.

The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
The law of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not slip.

The wicked watches for the righteous
and seeks to put him to death.
The Lord will not abandon him to his power
or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.

Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on when the wicked are cut off.

I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like a green laurel tree.
But he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.

Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is a future for the man of peace.
But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the future of the wicked shall be cut off.

The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
The Lord helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.

Family Life, Jay | comments feed | leave a comment | trackback

13 Responses to “Laid off”

Angie says:
March 8th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Wow…Jay…I’m sorry to hear of your loss. And this right after losing Sid.

But it’s sounds as if you have a plan. And what a great Psalm to cling to!!

“…[The Lord] will not forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever..”

Amen!!
once more with feeling » In brother news says:
March 8th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
[...] Jay got laid off. Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]
Mark says:
March 8th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Glad to hear that things looked better on Friday. (And I thought Pandora only worked with a Mac…)
Mark says:
March 8th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Continued: And we’re praying daily for all of you.
Jay says:
March 8th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Mark, your trackback is hilarious. “Jay got laid off. Share and Enjoy!”

Without the formatting, it sort of skews the meaning.
COD says:
March 8th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Having been in that situation more times than I care to remember, all I can say is hang in there. Somehow it keeps working out for me, and I’m not even as smart as you :)

I’m on several lists here in the DC area for tech jobs – I’ll forward anything that looks telecomy your way.
jennifer says:
March 9th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
As Mark said, we are praying for you, Tricia, and the children, and we had our shepherding group from church pray for you, today, too.
jennifer says:
March 9th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
P.S. Ps 73 [show]<div class="esv"><h2>Psalm 73 <object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.esvapi.org/assets/play.swf?myUrl=hw%2F19073001-19073028" width="40" height="12" class="audio"><param name="movie" value="http://www.esvapi.org/assets/play.swf?myUrl=hw%2F19073001-19073028" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /></object></h2>
<div class="esv-text"><h3 class="psalm-book" id="p19073001.01-1">Book Three</h3>
<h3 id="p19073001.03-1">God Is My Strength and Portion Forever</h3>
<h4 class="psalm-title" id="p19073001.10-1">A Psalm of Asaph.</h4>
<div class="block-indent">
73:1 Truly God is good to Israel, 
to those who are pure in heart. 
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, 
my steps had nearly slipped. 
3 For I was envious of the arrogant 
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For they have no pangs until death; 
their bodies are fat and sleek. 
5 They are not in trouble as others are; 
they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. 
6 Therefore pride is their necklace; 
violence covers them as a garment. 
7 Their eyes swell out through fatness; 
their hearts overflow with follies. 
8 They scoff and speak with malice; 
loftily they threaten oppression. 
9 They set their mouths against the heavens, 
and their tongue struts through the earth. 
10 Therefore his people turn back to them, 
and find no fault in them. <a href="#f1" id="b1" title="Probable reading; Hebrew 'the waters of a full cup are drained by them'">[1]</a> 
11 And they say, “How can God know? 
Is there knowledge in the Most High?” 
12 Behold, these are the wicked; 
always at ease, they increase in riches. 
13 All in vain have I kept my heart clean 
and washed my hands in innocence. 
14 For all the day long I have been stricken 
and rebuked every morning. 
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,” 
I would have betrayed the generation of your children.
16 But when I thought how to understand this, 
it seemed to me a wearisome task, 
17 until I went into the sanctuary of God; 
then I discerned their end.
18 Truly you set them in slippery places; 
you make them fall to ruin. 
19 How they are destroyed in a moment, 
swept away utterly by terrors! 
20 Like a dream when one awakes, 
O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms. 
21 When my soul was embittered, 
when I was pricked in heart, 
22 I was brutish and ignorant; 
I was like a beast toward you.
23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you; 
you hold my right hand. 
24 You guide me with your counsel, 
and afterward you will receive me to glory. 
25 Whom have I in heaven but you? 
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. 
26 My flesh and my heart may fail, 
but God is the strength <a href="#f2" id="b2" title="Hebrew 'rock'">[2]</a> of my heart and my portion forever.
27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; 
you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. 
28 But for me it is good to be near God; 
I have made the Lord God my refuge, 
that I may tell of all your works. (<a href="http://www.esv.org" class="copyright">ESV</a>)
</div>
</div>
<div class="footnotes">
<h3>Footnotes</h3>
<a href="#b1" id="f1">[1]</a> 73:10 Probable reading; Hebrew the waters of a full cup are drained by them
 
<a href="#b2" id="f2">[2]</a> 73:26 Hebrew rock

</div>
</div>
is a selfish favorite of mine when considering matters like this.
Melissa says:
March 10th, 2008 at 7:01 am
Praying for you and your family as you await the leading of our most faithful Redeemer.
Mark says:
March 10th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Yeah, I saw that and winced.
Kimberly says:
March 10th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Our family is praying for you (& the job search) & yours.
Peter says:
March 10th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
We’re all praying for you guys; I doubt I know anyone of import in your search, but I’ll keep a resume handy just in case I meet someone.
Missy says:
March 16th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
So sorry you are dealing with this stress…but it will be exciting to see where God leads you. We will be praying for God’s loud, even obnoxious direction and peace for you both.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
rom 8:28

March 8th, 2008 Laid off

13 Responses to “Laid off”

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