Hi, I'm Unemployed

They even bought me roses ...

This past Friday was my last day at my beloved job. Gifts were given, pranks were played, and many tears were shed. It was a beautiful, bittersweet day.

And today?

It's amazing how much of ourselves we pour into our jobs, isn't it? We define ourselves by our jobs. When people ask us who we are, we typically begin by telling them what we do for a living. Whatever that job may be, even if it's working from home or in the home, our work is a vital part of who we are; and we never feel that more keenly than when our work is taken away. A businessman retires, a mother's last child leaves the nest, a soldier is honorably discharged; and then ... what?

I don't actually know at this point. For the last eight months, I have been an administrator - supervising students, scheduling appointments, taking minutes, writing reports, planning events, and running interference for my boss when he let me. I have been my friends' counselor and therapist, my boss's assistant and sounding board, and the friendly telephone voice representing my organization. In other words, I had a place - a role to fill, a part to play. But now ... what?

Of course I know I'm going back to grad school; but that's part of the uncertainty. I don't know where I fit there yet. I don't know where I fit in my new lab - am I the jokester, the mom, the teacher's pet, the wallflower? (I usually fall in one of those four categories at the places I work.) What tasks will be mine to perform? And what about my role in my grad program - will I be a star student? Middle of the pack? Struggle to keep my head above water?

I'm not terribly worried about any of these questions because they always come with a change, and they always settle down after a couple of months. But they're also a good reminder that even the most important parts of our identity and self-image can change, morph, and become something different. ONLY our identity as sons and daughters of God remains permanent and unchanging throughout the years of our lives.

I'm looking forward to seeing who I'm going to be in this next season of my life!