Employment

Mount Calvary Baptist Church
Calvary Connection
Employment Center

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, 

and glorify your Father which is in heaven."    Matthew 5:16 (KJV)

CSRA Employer Employment Links

Augusta Richmond County
http://agency.governmentjobs.com/augustaga/default.cfm

East Central Regional (Gracewood)
http://dbhdd.georgia.gov/east-central-regional-hospital-augusta-gracewood

Columbia County School System
http://www.ccboe.net/

Savannah River Site
http://www.savannahrivernuclearsolutions.com/careers/workforce01.htm

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Click below to give your Employment related praise report! (new job, promotion, retirement, etc.)

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Click below to volunteer to serve on a Mount Calvary Baptist Church ministry or committee:

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IT'S THAT T.I.M.E. SERIES

Manage Your Emotions  

By:  Rev. Norman Vincent Hill

The process of searching for a new job can be daunting and overwhelming.  Regardless to your skills, experience and abilities, employment opportunities seldom come easy.  The job market is flooded with highly qualified job seekers with similar knowledge and strengths.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that there are 9 million unemployed in the United States.  Of this number, 2.9 million citizens have been unemployed for over 27 weeks.  This total number also includes another 770,000 that are among the "discouraged workers" that have stopped looking because they believe that no job exists for them.  The Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) is home to 16,573 unemployed residents. 

There are numerous real life stories involving competitive job seekers that have completed dozens and even hundreds of targeted applications without a single interview.  However, despite these alarming statistics, there is hope for men and women of faith that cling to the vision and blessed hope that Jesus Christ gives us.  He did not redeem us to abandon or forsake us.  If we are going to seize the God inspired opportunities that are ahead of us, we must manage our emotions along the way.  Misplaced emotions can cause us to trip up, slip up, and flip us upside down.  Therefore, how can job applicants survive the great flood of discouragement and disillusionment that comes during such fruitless search efforts?  We should embrace three key spiritual movements that will help us to keep our head and heart throughout the job search process.

1. Ask God to direct your search.  Saturate every aspect of your search efforts with prayer.

Paul's words to the Philippian church are instructive to us today.  "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV)  Anxiety and stress can cause one to develop negative perspectives that run counter to God's desired aim for our lives.  Rather, than having a thankful heart, worry and angst can produce an ungrateful spirit.  It is imperative that we petition God rather than have our own pity parties.  When you give your search efforts, victories, and struggles to God, he can give you an abiding sense of peace that encourages your heart in incomprehensible ways.

God has already laid out your career path.  He has a bright future ahead for those that dare "do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly" with Him.  (Micah 6:8 KJV)  It is your responsibility and divine mandate to trust God throughout the journey.

2. Stay active.  Sometimes disappointing job search news can drain you of your energy.  In addition, it can rob you of your resolve to keep pressing forward.  When this occurs, there can be a real tendency to retreat into our shells of complacency.  This behavior may manifest itself through an overdose of TV, internet, cell phone, sleeping, couch confinement, video games, and other overused behaviors.  While it is vital and necessary to have periods of relaxation to recharge your batteries, it should be done in moderation.  The more you assume "pity postures" for extended periods of time, the more your flesh will want to continue this unhealthy pattern.

Instead, give yourself a time limit for how long you will engage in mindless activity.  Set your clock or cell phone for a specific period of time.  When that time period has expired, get up and get moving toward some purposeful step of your job search.  This could include applying for another job, searching pertinent job sites, placing a follow up call, conducting a networking call, lining up your references and their contact information, etc.  Keep mind, body, and spirit alive, engaged, and moving.  As you move, be reminded of the Psalmist's God inspired realization: "For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb.  I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well" (Ps. 139:13-14 NASB).

3. Count your Job Search blessings.  During one particular period of unemployment in my life, I could tell you how many applications I completed and how many rejection letters I received.  I could tell you how many companies rejected me rudely and how many rejected me kindly.  I could tell you what strategies I tried and what was not working.  I knew the negative stats inside out.  However, I realized that I was spending more time keeping track of the rejections behind me than the opportunities that were ahead of me.  I came to understand that each rejection was moving me closer to the acceptance that God had in store for me.

When managing the emotional realities of the job search process, it is important to occasionally stop and reflect on the personal qualities, attributes, and strengths that make you the "fearfully and wonderfully made" man or woman that you are.  In fact, Ephesians 2:10 lets us know that "we are God's special masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."  Therefore, take inventory of the blessings that God has given you even in the midst of a series of job journey disappointments.  Write them down in categories if necessary.  Inventory your skills, talents, gifts, personal qualities, and achievements.  If you get stuck, think about the areas for which you are most often commended or complimented.  Ask family members or trusted friends for additional input into your areas of giftedness.  What amazing insights and encouragement will unfold as you write, see, and hear these positive, personal truths come to life.   This activity will not only motivate and inspire you.  But, it will prepare you to effectively communicate your value when selected for an interview.

Solomon considered the managing of one's emotions to be so crucial that he gave the following admonishment to the readers of Proverbs 4:23: "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life."  (NLT)  Prayerfully partner with God while remaining actively engaged and taking inventory of your job search blessings.  It's that time to no longer allow your emotions to manage you.  Rather, it's that time to manage your emotions. 

Rev. Norman Vincent Hill
Executive Administrative Assistant to the Pastor
Mount Calvary Baptist Church
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Managing Partner
Emerge HR Solutions Group