February 2025. Right now, many workers in the United States, especially in the federal government, are losing their jobs. Unemployment is always challenging, but it is particularly so when the manner of being let go seems haphazard, sudden, without cause, and, in some cases, lacking humanity.
We stand with the many faithful civil servants whose hearts are breaking, whose families are suffering, and whose futures are uncertain. Like the fired employees in Yosemite National Park who flew the Stars and Stripes upside down on the face of El Capitan, we too want to signal that the country is in distress.
We offer these resources to help everyone who is experiencing unemployment. At a time when so much in the United States is uncertain, we hope these resources will help you process your sadness and give you hope for better things to come.
Work is not primarily a thing one does to live, but the thing one lives to do. It is, or should be, the full expression of the worker's faculties, the thing in which he finds spiritual, mental, and bodily satisfaction.
— Dorothy L. Sayers, Friend of the Soul by Norvene Vest
Practices: Losing your job can create a vacuum that invites fear, but this two-handed practice can help you balance the realities of uncertainty and opportunity.
Prayers: Donna Schaper offers this deeply compassionate prayer for the unemployed, “those who used to think they were going somewhere and now know they are not.”
Robert Jones offers a prayer for someone upon losing a job, noting the many feelings he has seeing others with jobs and going through the process of looking for one.
Book: Find practical insights in A Spiritual Guide for the Unemployed, written by a man who was unexpectedly laid off and used this painful period to reassess his purpose.
Excerpt: While enduring unemployment, it is necessary to remember that you have gifts given to you by God, and that God values them even when the market seems to discard them.
Films: Movies often show us people experiencing unemployment – their struggles, strategies, and successes. Here is a list of Film Portraits of Unemployment.
Quotation
A German poet reflects on finding happiness in our constraints, offering a great mantra for all those seeking work.
More resources on being unemployed.
Ask the SpiritualityandPracticebot: “What can I do when I am unemployed?”
