2002
After my son turned sixteen, I told him it was time to get a job. It was summer and jobs were hard to find. The unemployment rate was about 6% at the time. But the unemployment rate for teenagers was 19.5%! The summer is the hardest time of the year for a teenager to find a job. The kids who held the jobs during the school year want more hours, since school is out and they have more time on their hands. There is also an increase in applications from the students who didn't work during the school year but want a summer job. The outlook for a first time summer job was dismal.
On a Monday, I told my 16 year old to apply for ten jobs every day until he got one.
He said he couldn't come up with ten places to apply.
He applied for ten jobs per day for five days. He received a job on application number forty-five, the following Friday. He was a busboy at a pizza parlor that summer.
2009
My son graduated from college in May of 2009 at the peak of the global mortgage debt crisis. The economy, stock market and banking system were in a state of panic. The U.S. unemployment rate was nearly 10%. The seniors in his class were not finding jobs. This is what I told him:
"I lived through times like these during the Oil & Gas and Real Estate Depression that occurred in Texas during the 1980's. That's when oil prices fell to $9 per barrel! The Texas unemployment rate rose to 9.3%. Almost every major Texas bank was unable to continue and was taken over by an out of state bank. Most of the companies in my industry did not survive."
I said…"Expect to call one thousand companies to find a job!"
He contacted about three companies per day. Most were not hiring. Many laughed when he asked if they were hiring. He applied to those which were accepting applications. He lived like a Gypsy on a shoestring, expected success and never asked me for a penny. It took two hundred phone calls to find a job, in his field, with a fast growing company that had a wonderful corporate environment. The job was three hundred miles from his preferred location, but it was a good job! The search took two months.
What's the lesson? Many become discouraged after a series of failed attempts and stop trying. Never give up! Expect it to be hard. Expect success.
If you need free help with discouragement, READ ON...
Discouragement: The Deadly Enemy
Discouragement is the deadly enemy. Being unemployed doesn't disable a person. Being discouraged does. When you are discouraged, it is difficult to look for a job. It is difficult to make the call. It is difficult to be a convincing candidate for the job. It is difficult to talk to your wife or child without biting their head off. It is difficult to stay off drugs. It is difficult to get out of bed.
By now you may have realized that your unemployment problem is bigger than you are. You have fallen into circumstances that you can not control. You don't have the power to fix it. You may also have realized that you dont have the power to fix yourself. You cant just decide that you will no longer be discouraged. Being discouraged is miserable. It makes your stomach hurt. It can make you sick. What you need is faith. Faith is the answer to discouragement. Faith is the opposite of discouragement. Faith feels good, full and peaceful. Faith is free. You cant buy it. You can't manufacture it.
Here is the problem: If you don't have faith, how do you get it?
My next suggestion is going to say a little bit about the One who created the world. If that will offend you, then stop right here. You may believe that He exists but that He doesn't do anything. You may believe that He has not done anything since the world came into existence. You may believe that He just created dust and lightning That the dust and lightning naturally changed into things that we know exist Things like mountains and oceans, plants and animals, thoughts and emotions. You may think that He has no influence over politics, business or personal relationships. You may believe that He sees us struggle and ignores our cries for help. You may believe that you can run the universe better than He does. You may believe that it is impossible to feel peace during the storm. You may believe that you can't enjoy His presence in your life. If you believe those things, then you may as well stop reading right now. And by the way, none of the following pages will ask you to pay for anything. None of the following pages will give you an opportunity to pay for anything. Its all free. I've been where you are. I've been at the edge.
If you need more free help, READ ON...
Faith is a Gift.
Faith is Free.
If You Don't Have Faith, Ask For It.
My son wasn't able to continue searching for a job, day after day, because he was a superstar. He had fifty-nine days of continuous failure. He continued because he had faith in the One who deserved his trust. He knew that the One who created him would provide the job. He KNEW the One who created him. That is why he expected success. You can have success as well by faith.
There was a man named Don't Need Help. Don't Need Help was unemployed and out of money. But he qualified for a monthly unemployment check from the Government. Don't Need Help went to the unemployment office. He stood in the line for two hours. When Don't Need Help stepped up to the front of the line, the lady behind the counter said "How may I help you".
Don't Need Help said "I Don't Need Help. I've been taking care of myself all my life. I don't need your help. Besides, you government people are the ones who screwed everything up and caused me to lose my job."
The lady said "OK. We won't force you to accept our help. We don't want to turn you into a robot. You have the right to choose. Please stand over there." Then she said to the next person in the line... How may I help you?
Don't Need Help didn't receive help because he wouldn't ask for it.
If you don't have the faith to trust Him, then this is what you need to do... ASK HIM TO GIVE YOU FAITH! You ask. Let Him do the rest.
When you ask God to increase your faith, you are praying the Endorsed Prayer of Faith, from subchapter 4.3a. You may read more about that, from the scriptures, by clicking the table of contents icon in the top left of this screen. Click chapter 4, then subchapter 4.3.
If you have a little faith, but are still plagued by fear and tension, then ask Him to multiply your faith. If you just want a little more of Him in your life, just ask Him to double it or triple it. If you want to soar, ask Him to multiply your faith ten-thousand fold. Then ask it again. Then, ask it again. And again.
If you want to know Him, READ ON...
HIM
He's the One who created the earth.
He loves everyone, the good and the bad.
He loves with the greatest love that man has ever known.
He knows everything.
He is all powerful.
Thousands of years ago, He took the form of a man and lived on the earth with men. He told them about His kingdom... How it should be run. The religious leaders didn't like what He said, so they tortured Him and nailed Him to a tree until He died. He let them do that. It was the only way to bring God and man together. There was an earthquake and a blood moon (eclipse). Three days later, He rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven. His Spirit now lives in those who trust in His power.
He wants a relationship with every person.
He wants His power, peace and joy to live inside of all of us.
The easiest way to explain how to know Him, is to tell you a story... a true story
If you want to know how I found Him, click HERE!