Dealing with Disappointment in the recruitment process
"Then you will know that I am the LORD. Those who trust in me will never be put to shame"- Isaiah 49:23
So you saw the TES ad. You prayed. Maybe you even felt a sense of confirmation that this was the direction God was leading you in. So you took the risk. You applied for the job.
And you were unsuccessful.
Disappointments and setbacks are a painful but unavoidable part of the journey for anyone seeking to further their career. In "putting ourselves out there" we run the very real risk of facing rejection. And nobody likes rejection.
At Emmaus we invest a lot of time and energy in encouraging potential applicants to make the very best use of the gifts that God has given them, to make career decisions based on where they would be most effective rather than on what feels safe and comfortable.
After all, if you want to walk on water, you've got to step out of the boat.
But the very nature of recruitment means that not every applicant will be recruited. No matter how strong an application or candidate may be, there are various factors that may result in them being unsuccessful. And this can be hurtful. Particularly when an applicant felt like they were prayerfully stepping out in obedience to God's leading.
Which begs the question as to where do we go when in the trenches of disappointment?
Step 1: Prayer.
I think the first helpful step is to get alone and get honest with God. Whilst it's probably not a good idea to accuse Him (the problem is never His end) I think the Father welcomes it when His children ditch the religious talk and get gut-level honest about our pains and frustrations.
Step 2: His word.
God's goodness is the bedrock of our theology. There is something incredibly powerful about coming before Him in prayer, being honest and frank about how we feel and then going to His word and declaring what we know to be true over what our circumstances and emotions are telling us. The Psalms are a great place to start.
Step 3: Praise and Thanksgiving.
Hebrews 13:15 speaks of "continually offering God a sacrifice of praise". When we get to heaven we will be worshipping with the angels for all eternity and it will be glorious. Yet whilst we're here on this earth we have the unique opportunity of bringing before God a sacrifice of praise that is mingled with unanswered questions, pain and confusion. That's just not an opportunity we're going to get in heaven, to bring him a sacrifice of praise that costs us so dearly.
Step 4: Submission.
Ultimately when things don't turn out the way we had hoped or expected we have two options as Christians; to come before God with a hardened heart or a broken heart. I urge you, difficult as it may be, to choose the former.
We sometimes have to learn to live without our answers. We cannot live without our Christ.