I have been a stay at home/work from home momma since our daughter was born 5 years ago. I wish that I could say that I was the ultimate homemaker/money manager/super mom, but my reality is not that at all! But, that is for another post! In this time, we have struggled with finances. Many times, that has been due to me thinking "if I just try this, I can make us some more money" when the reality is, I just threw good money after a bad idea. (Yes, that is downright hard to admit! After all, I have a whole lot of education that says I should be able to do better! Again, this will be an upcoming post.) Let me be clear on something, these five years have been hard in many ways (and not all of them were things we could control, like my husband's accident that left him out of work for more than 8 months due to an injury), but they have been years we will cherish for the hard times as well as the great times! As our daughter prepares to enter kindergarten, we decided that I should go ahead and get a part time job for a bit to pay for upcoming school expenses, etc. and then when she went to school, I could look into something full time. This became an experience!
I thought that with all of the "help wanted" signs in our town, getting a job would be a breeze. Boy, was I wrong! I am a college educated, professionally experienced woman. My background is varied from non-profits to retail to computer network administration. I studied psychology and sociology and have tons of leadership experience. I thought that if anyone should be able to land a part time retail or customer service job, it should be me! I obediently went to the companies' webpages and spent hours filling out applications and taking their placement tests. Many times, immediately after taking the test, I was told that I was not a good fit, but my application would be held on file for 6 months and after that I could reapply. The one that really got to me was the local McDonald's. These people have all kinds of smiling adults working for them and even handing out little slips of paper encouraging you to go their website and apply for a job. I talked to team members there and they said that they were in dire need of help. I figured I had that one in the bag! Wrong again. I submitted the online application, took the test, and never heard from them.
You can imagine at this point that I was fed up! I had spent hours applying to these companies who repeatedly placed ads, had signs up, and practically begged their customers to apply. Not one, I repeat, NOT ONE company called me for a job interview. I am an active job seeker whose past work experience shows that I am dependable, hard working, and a leader and yet I couldn't get an hourly job when these companies say that they will pretty much take anyone. Now before you think that there is something wrong with me, I talked with some other individuals who have experienced this same issue. Quite honestly, I believe that by automating and "streamlining" their hiring process, many large companies have effectively shot themselves in the foot.
Here is where the lesson comes into play. Remember, I told you about my credentials? Also about my work ethic and the knowledge I have at my disposal? Now take all of that away. What if you are a newly single mom trying to get a job to support your kids? Child support (if you get it) won't cover all of your expenses so you know you need to work. What if you are a dad who is trying to make some extra money in time for those added school supply costs? You are willing to work, but no one seems to give you a chance. What if you are a teenage mom and you spend days applying but get no takers? Guess welfare is looking better all of the time!
This ended up being a social experiment for me and made me think beyond the surface. It has made me question who else might be trying as hard as I did and repeatedly be turned down. Repeatedly, the Bible tells us not to judge others, but judge their fruit. What if in some cases, their fruit is being stunted not by their own hand, but by the world? Yes, I know that there is a lot more to it than that, but simplify it for a moment. I can imagine how some people would become depressed, hopeless, and give up. What if you can do something about it? Would you?
Luckily for me, (not really luck, but the hand of God in my life) a brother in Christ, whom I had worked for before, offered me a job that fits beautifully into our life. But what about those others who don't have the connections that I do? What about those who don't even have one soul to cheer them on? Before you judge a person to be lazy, stupid, or worthless, figuratively walk a mile in their shoes and see where you would end up in those same circumstances. Most especially, take a moment to pray over them (they don't have to know)! You may be THE ONLY person who is praying for that individual.
I hope that this post gave you a little insight into another's circumstances. If you at least stop and think about this after thinking "why don't they just get a job?" then my job has been accomplished. Yes, there are lazy individuals in this world who would rather be "on the dole" than working to earn their keep. I'm not wearing my rose colored glasses anymore; but maybe, just maybe some of those people need a little help that you can provide in order to get going. <3 ya all!
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