Being fired, let go, transitioned out, or whatever verbiage the church uses, can be some of the deepest pain and hurt you experience. After being fired, you embark on such a difficult journey and it is so easy to let the negative creep in. But what if it was all part of a bigger plan?
What if God has a bigger plan afoot and even though you are going through what seems like hell, it will all end up for good? Maybe even better than you imagined? There can be a redemption story, I know because I have seen it unfold.
If you haven’t read part one of this post series, “FIRED! 5 Lies You Are Told When You Are Let Go From A Church” go back and read it now because those are definitely things you need to work through. Once you have stopped believing those lies, and time has healed some of the hurts, you may start seeing your redemption story.
When I think of tough situations one of the first people I think of is the apostle Paul. Paul had many run-ins with the authorities, stints in jail and eventually beheading for his faith and desire to push the gospel forward. During one of his stints in a Roman prison, with some of the bleakest conditions we can hardly even imagine due to our western mindset, he wrote these words. Words that I would never think of during a difficult situation, “Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.” Philippians 1:12
In the middle of a dark and difficult situation Paul realized something that we too need to realize in the midst of our difficult situations: your situation can be used!
Yes, being fired sucks, the pain is deep, the emotions are real, but it can be used for something. It has a purpose.
1. Maybe being fired actually saved you
Perhaps you were saved from that church or from something that was about to happen at that church. When I was let go it was completely out of the blue. I didn’t even have the slightest clue it was coming. I was committed to the church and had big vision for the future and where the ministry could go. However, I was starting to see some of the issues at the church. When I was let go I had only been at the church for 9 months and was completely unaware of the fact that it was somewhat of a pattern and I was definitely not the first to be let go in the short life of the church plant. The church was not in a healthy spot. From the outside it looked fine but inside it was sick. God forcibly removed me from an unhealthy place to save me. It turned out God knew exactly what He was doing and within the year the entire board quit, multiple other staff members were either ‘let go’ or quit, and the church went through some really heavy stuff because of its leadership.
I am not saying this to slander that church in any way or to shed a negative light on it, but as I look back it was amazing how God used a painful situation to actually save me from something. Maybe that is what God is doing with your situation as well. It may be something you never fully realize would have happened but God had your back.
2. Maybe being fired opened (or will open) doors that otherwise you would never have opened.
As I said, I had big plans for the future at the church I was in. At the time I had no plans of leaving but God had so much more for me. I had to be pushed out so that I could experience what was next. After months of not being employed by the church, and God working on my heart, I was finally open to moving states away and going to a church and city I would have never in a 1000 years considered going to if it weren’t for being fired. A church where over the next 4 years I saw God do absolutely amazing things as over 70 students gave their life to Christ, the group went from 15 students to over 150 regular attenders.
Not to mention during this time is when I started Stoked On Youth Ministry (which has now been named in the top 7 youth ministry blogs for 3 years running), began writing and speaking for multiple ministry companies, and signed my first book deal. All of which would never have happened if I had not been forcibly pushed towards the doors God was opening.
I hope you understand my intention in telling you all of that is not to make myself look awesome, but rather to shine a light on how amazing God’s plans for our redemption story are and the doors He opens are so much greater than the dark situation we find ourselves in.
3. Maybe being fired will help others
Paul has the audacity to say that his pain could push forward the good news, that his terrible situation could actually help other people. So can yours. Your situation, no matter how painful it is, and depending on how fresh it is, can be used to help others who have been through the same thing. This realization is exactly why I wrote these posts. My hope and prayer is that my story can help you or someone like you through their story of being let go and that your story can in turn do the same for someone else.
4. God is faithful, seek His faithfulness
I don’t know what the future looks like for you. But I do know that God is faithful and the first step in your redemption story is seeking His faithfulness.
Thank you for doing what you do!
This article about being fired originally appeared here.
