Unemployed

For the first time in my life since I started working I am about to be unemployed. I have three weeks before I lose my job. As you may know I work for a government contractor. Apparently, the contract we are on is a year-by-year renewable contract. Yesterday we were told that the IRS offered to re-up my company for the upcoming year, but my company had been losing money over the last two years due to the IRS failing to meet some financial obligations. IAP (my company) told the IRS that they would re-up with them if they would make money this year doing that. The IRS told them that if that was the case they would just take the contract back. So, effective October 1st, I will no longer be an employee of IAP worldwide services. And the way the IRS hires employees, I'm not guaranteed my old position. In fact, I'm almost guaranteed that I won't get my position, but I might be able to get a lower position, which will require a significant pay cut. Life gets a little crazier from here on out. I've already applied for a couple of jobs, and I'll be applying for a lot of jobs over the next few weeks. I would really appreciate your prayers over this whole situation. But more than a new job, pray for my witness at work during this time. There is a lot of stress as you can imagine what would happen with 180 people losing their jobs. I've only worked two days this week, but it feels like four. God has blessed me with a great deal of peace over the situation and I'm not really worried about what will happen with me, but I want to show my co-workers how real my faith is and point them to the only true hope there is - Jesus Christ. So pray for my witness and pray for my patience as it can be very trying dealing with people who are stressed and others who are spreading baseless rumors about future opportunities with the IRS. There were a couple of times I really felt like yelling at people today and I know I'm not the only one. I am definitely learning how weak I am and how dependant I am on God's grace. His grace is sufficient for me and his power is made perfect in my weakness. Lord willing, He'll shine through me over the next three weeks. The irony of this whole situation and how I see the sovereignty of God in all of this is that last week I was really convicted of my idolization of money and how much I trust in and worship it as the provider of all of my need and my security. I've been asking God to reveal how I need to think of, treat, and use my money for his glory and his purposes. I guess this is part of the answer to that prayer. I won't have much of an income pretty soon and I'm going to have to rely totally and completely on God. He doesn't promise me another great-paying job, or even that I'll find any kind of decent job soon. But He does promise that He'll be there with me through it all and this will only serve to make me more into the image of His Son, and therefore it is for my good. Praise God for His grace. Praise God for the trials that help us lean on it. And praise Jesus that we are more than conquerors through Jesus. It won't always go easy, but it will always go best for us and for God. I'm struggling to hold on to this and believe it fully. I definitely am no super-saint. God bless you all.