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You’re Fired!

The dust is still swirling over the shocking firings of inner circle personnel at the White House. Putting partisan comments aside, think about the impact these decisions are having on real lives. How does anyone cope with such a dramatic change of fortune? How would you handle being fired and disgraced in front of the entire world at the peak of your career?

From the outside looking in, we’ll never know the real cause. The truth is that speculating as to whether or not it was justified, is an exercise in futility. More importantly, it’s not the central theme of this story. The issue for all of us is why do bad things happen to good people, and how should we react when they happen to us.

Without knowing the first thing about the individuals involved, we know the first thing most people do when under attack is to ask God, “Why? Why is this happening to me?” And all too often God gets blamed for making it happen, which can lead to anger against God and believing God is angry at them. Most of us have gone down this path at some point in our lives or may be facing it now.

The Solution: There’s often a huge disparity between what we believe and God knows to be good for our lives. While it’s easy to view things like success, prestige, power and affluence as being good for us, more often than not, they lead us down a slippery slope. God’s desire for us is to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. That’s why He’s always working to perfect your soul rather than protect your pride, which will lead to your fall, and He’s far less interested in what you go through than He is in how you respond to what you go through.

When making the right choice, good things happen in the middle of a crisis, it’s called: Surrendering to God. Your prayer life increases, and the impact of your testimony explodes as those around you see you standing in unwavering, whole-hearted faith. When you steadfastly know that God is in control of your life, His strength is powerfully expressed through your weakness.

Chuck Colson, the self-proclaimed ‘hatchet man’ for Richard Nixon, is a prime example! He turned high profile failure into profound success by allowing God to take control of his life. Following his massive disgrace and conviction as a Watergate felon, God used him to form the global ministry of Prison Fellowship, inspired him to write his Best Selling Book ‘Born Again’ and established him as one of the foremost voices in all of Christianity.

Action: When people bring up the White House firings, it’s easy to transition to the destruction of the lives and families caught in cross fire and how they can survive. This opens the door to discuss God’s desire to intervene for people, like Chuck Colson, who turn to God for help with problems bigger than themselves.

God never says “oops”. He’s always there! Whenever bad things happen in our lives, God is up to something. That’s opportunity knocking! When you place your hope in Him and not yourself, God obligates Himself to make your path straight and a blessing to everyone around you.

Reference Quotes and Scriptures:

“It’s not how hard you fall, but how high you bounce that counts.”
Zig Ziglar

“Our most significant opportunities will be found in times of greatest difficulties.”
Thomas S. Monson

“People from every walk of life often struggle to achieve a higher degree of income, more recognition of a certain degree of professional competence, only to find their drive to achieve their goal blinded them to the things that really matter most.”
Stephen Covey

“People can spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.”
Thomas Merton

Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 16:18

There is a way that seemeth right to man, but the end thereof is death.
Proverbs 14:12

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but Is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.
I John 2: 15-17

But God’s Discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in His Holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening – it’s painful. But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.
Hebrews 12:10-11

He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit (God’s Purpose) and He Prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.
John 15:2

When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
James 1: 2-4

Trust the Lord with your whole heart. Lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.
Proverbs 3:5

He said, “My Grace is all you need. My Power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.
II Corinthians 12:9

I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the Heavenly Prize for which God, through Jesus Christ, is calling us.
Philippians 3:13-14