Snake Bitten in 2023? There is HOPE! by Will Thomson, JSN Board Member + President of Bullseye Recruiting
My family has a ranch in the small town of Carrizo Springs, TX. Mesquite trees, hot weather in the summer, and hunting in the fall & winter.
While it is a great place to visit and a great place to watch the sunset, you need to watch out for the dangers that are all around that we don’t see all the time.
Anyone who lives there will tell you to watch out for the snakes. They are hidden in the tall grass. You need to always wear your boots and watch where you are stepping. There are some dangerous things in South Texas. If it isn’t a rattlesnake, you may get a scorpion sting, fire ant bites, or even a yellow jacket sting.
Since 2020, and the pandemic, the business world has just gotten plain bizarre. At times I didn’t know if we were going to survive the pandemic.
In 2021, the economy came roaring back and in 2022 it seemed like we were firing on all cylinders. For many, 2022 was the best year of their career. Unemployment was lower than I have ever seen it and people were paying outrageous salaries for jobs. The signs were all there for a crash. When you are in the moment though, you don’t see it.
Just like in Carrizo Springs, we were looking at the beauty around us and not being cautious for the dangers lurking.
I must tell you (and I know I am not alone in this), I didn’t see 2023 coming. Quite simply, in 2023 many of us got snake bit. We felt the pain of an unsuspecting attack. This year has been a tough one.
It started in late 2022, but it was a full-blown massacre for many high-tech companies by 2023.
Every time you read the news or turned on the tv, you heard of mass layoffs from the hiring spree of 2022.
Reality got a little worse as the cost of products and services increased like crazy. Everything got very expensive, very quickly.
God never said there weren’t going to be troubles in this world. In this period in our lives, I know that many feel like things can’t get better. We all tend to worry, and our stress tends to get the best of us at times.
In John 16:33 Jesus says, “I have told you these things so that in me you will have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But, take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Even when we think we are in control, we are not. We can prepare, but sometimes the unforeseen happens.
Even with our eyes focused on the grass with our boots on, we can still get snake bit.
During all this chaos, however, there is hope. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Jeremiah 29:11-13 which says: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.”
I feel like we grow the most when things don’t go the way we intend them to go or want them to go. It is through hardships that we learn the most.
If 2023 has not been the year you wanted it to be, take it as a learning experience. We have all been bitten before and survived. We are wise to have hope and enjoy the blessings we are given, while keeping our eyes out for the snakes in our lives.
There is HOPE amid Chaos.
Job Seekers Network can be that place of hope for you in a difficult season, whether you are unemployed, nervously employed or simply seeking to live a more purposeful life. Join an upcoming meeting for encouragement, support, and practical job search tips: https://www.jsnatx.org/training/calendar/