Trudging through unemployment

It's been four long, awkward months since Mike lost his job. Four. Long. Months. We never imagined it would take more than a month or two at the most to find something else, yet here we are.

His application and resume are all over the Garland, Wylie, Sachse, Plano, Dallas area. He's spent a ton of time and a fortune in gas to meet employers all over for interviews. They all seem to go well, but we still sit and wait, wondering when God is going to open up the right one.

"Well, we really like you, but we don't officially have an opening right now."

"Well, we're looking for someone with AC certification."

"We're hoping to find someone with more specific experience in this field."

"We're looking for someone with a CDL."

"You're a bit overqualified for this position."

"You are highly qualified for our company, but we're really just needing to hire someone 'cheaper' at this time and can't invest in another full-time employee."

"I'm sorry. We ended up hiring someone from within the organization that wanted to move up/down."

"Your experience sounds great for this position. However, we've still got 30 more applicants to interview."

"Yes, the position is still open, but there are 20 more applicants ahead of you. We will call you for an interview when we get further down the list."

"You are one of 74 interviews today." (He even made it to the top 5 that day, but then we never heard anything more after that.)

Each "rejection" makes you wonder if you should be pursuing this or that certification and training, but how do you even know where to start? Which one do you pursue? How much do you invest in doing so?

I have my days where I battle quite a bit of discouragement, but I really don't like camping out there for too long. It's too depressing. I have to look around and count my blessings to remind myself of everything that is going right rather than what appears to be going wrong. I am going to choose to err on the side of faith here, continuing to believe that God has a specific assignment for Mike, a specific job either waiting on him or that's not even available yet. We both pray for His guidance, peace, and patience every day, and I thank God every day for whatever job He is going to bring his way in His time.

Thankfully, (but unfortunately), we know of a few other people in the exact same position, out of work for almost just as long now or even longer. We take comfort in that because it shows us just how hard it is to find a job right now, no matter what income level you're trying to replace. It helps to know you're not alone.

I know one thing. I have a whole new compassion for people going through a job loss. It's hard, and it can be scary.

Thanks for your prayers. God has answered several very personal and specific prayers over the last few months, so I know He is listening. There must be a purpose for this delay.