Three acquaintances of mine have recently lost their jobs in what appears to be unjust circumstances. One was a well-respected director at a Fortune 500 company. A new boss came in and fired her unceremoniously, despite the fact that a few months earlier, she had received a stellar performance review and an above-average bonus.
Three acquaintances of mine have recently lost their jobs in what appears to be unjust circumstances. One was a well-respected director at a Fortune 500 company. A new boss came in and fired her unceremoniously, despite the fact that a few months earlier, she had received a stellar performance review and an above-average bonus.
The second acquaintance, a first-year teacher, was told that her contract was not being renewed. She was given no explanation, no chance for improvement and no warning. The third, a 20-year veteran of his company, took several weeks off to recover from major surgery and returned to find that a subordinate had gone over his head and orchestrated a coup in his absence.
I’m sure there are two sides to each of these stories, and I am privy to only one, but I can tell you with certainty that each affected acquaintance is ethical, hard-working, well-meaning and devastated by the suddenness of these decisions.
I learned of these as I was reading Mother Teresa, Come Be My Light, The Private Writings of the “Saint of Calcutta”. I was surprised to learn that even Mother Teresa was unfairly accused and punished. At one point, Mother Teresa was actually transferred because she had had “frequent and long conversations” while confessing to her spiritual advisor, and members of her community were suspicious of the nature of the relationship between Mother Teresa and her male confessor.
Of Mother Teresa, Archbishop Perier of Calcutta wrote, “I have never heard her complaining of superiors or sisters, even when I knew she had been misunderstood.” Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, director of the Mother Teresa Center, and editor of the afore-mentioned book, writes, “[Mother Teresa] accepted the change serenely. Despite the sacrifice of leaving so much she loved, she saw God’s hand in these happenings and believed the move ultimately came from him.”
Of my three acquaintances, the teacher has already found another good teaching position, and here’s what is interesting about the other two: In the months prior to their forced departures, each had expressed to me a deep dissatisfaction with what had been (up-to-then) a fulfilling career. Each felt a strong stirring to do something new and different, but neither had acted upon it. Comfort with the status quo, and fear of the unknown had prevented each from exploring other options.
Now, the latter two acquaintances both are rightfully angry and hurt by the injustice of the actions levied against them, yet I suspect that after time has passed, like Mother Teresa, they too, may see God’s hand in the happenings. Perhaps he was the sower of the seeds of dissatisfaction, and when my friends failed to heed his quiet call, he was the mama bird giving his babies a push when they were too fearful to jump out of their comfy nests.
The neurotic worry wart in me finds this oddly reassuring. I live in fear that God’s gentle whisper has been drowned out by the “Thunderstorm” setting on my white noise machine, or that he nudged me at the exact same time I accidentally tripped over my cat, and I missed his nudge. But this tale of my three friends teaches me that maybe God doesn’t give up on us that easily; that when he has a new challenge for us—a new purpose, a new adventure—he understands our reluctance, our fear. He understands, but he doesn’t let us off the hook. He loves us enough to push us out of our comfort zones. Unfortunately, those gentle nudges, when delivered by human hands, can feel exactly like a stab in the back.
To my hurting friends I offer the words of another Teresa, although the internet can’t seem to decide exactly which Saint Teresa/e wrote this:
May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.