Have you lost your sense of purpose? A journey through the wilderness

Sometime in life we face challenges that knock us off our feet, and can cause us to not only question God’s purpose, but even His very existence. Here is my story (short version).

I lost my corporate job at the age of 50 when my employer went out of business after the financial crash of 2008-2010. I had worked in corporate all my career, and this provided financial security as I raised my family. My focus and life’s purpose at that time, were on my job, and on taking care of my family.

A few months after losing my job, a lawsuit was filed against me and former directors of my employer, for breach of fiduciary duty. A frivolous lawsuit filed by an ill-informed group, looking for someone to blame for decisions they approved, and risks that they knowingly took. This matter had to be disclosed in job interviews and I soon found out that no one would hire me with this lawsuit hanging over my head. It took 4 long years to completely clear my name. By that time, irreparable damage was done to my corporate reputation and a significant part of my purpose in life, my corporate career, was gone.

I mourned my career as if someone had died. When I finally got to the 5th stage of grief (acceptance), I realized that I had only one option left, start my own business. The transition to self-employment after decades in a corporate job was tough, even for someone with my business experience and training.

Looking back after 14 years, here are three important things I learned from all this:

1) The wilderness is a lonely place. When the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, they did so as a group. When you or I find ourselves there, we are truly alone. Your loved ones, particularly your spouse, will see your distress and will attempt to comfort and assure you that God will see you through, but they cannot feel your fear, nor hear the voices of doubt and condemnation echoing in your head.

2) Be kind to your spouse and your loved ones, don’t shut them out, don’t lash out at them. Their words of encouragement and their prayers for you are God’s way of providing you with love and support during difficult times. My wife spent years praying me through this experience and I am thankful that she had faith to believe in God’s purpose, when I did not.

3) If you think you've lost your purpose, maybe God has a new one waiting for you. This change from corporate job to self-employed brought a new dimension to my work, an awareness of God’s purpose for business. Had I stayed in corporate, I would have missed this. So, instead of being retired by now, I continue to work in my own business and to share what I have learned and experienced with other Christian entrepreneurs, with the hope that what I do or say, will be of help. This I think, is a good new purpose.

Thank you for reading, sharing and commenting.

Robert

Finding God's Purpose, adopting Biblical Principles, generating Ethical Profit.