Life has changed. You were once part of a team who needed your help, who had questions that required your input daily. Sure, you experienced moments of fatigue, just like anyone. Yet, overall, you felt a sense of purpose and connection to something deeper than yourself.

Now, unemployed, you miss the deadlines that once stressed you out, now realizing they kept you chugging forward towards a shared goal. And this makes you feel… emotionally dull, experiencing a sense of loss.

While hard to identify or verbally express, a common emotion many unemployed people face is loneliness. You feel alone in this journey, kept company by that which is unwelcomed or desired: Raw emotion and recycled thoughts.

While it feels like no one knows, or even cares, about what you contemplate or struggle with, or about the details of your situation – many of which cause you to question your path – you are not alone. God knows, and God cares.

The Bible says the Lord is close to the broken-hearted. He saves those whose spirits have been utterly crushed. He sees our sorrow. He even bottles our tears.

Jesus tells us that those who are poor in Spirit – the emotionally bankrupt – are blessed because the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:3-4).

If this is you – if you have been left wanting, if you are confused by your recent journey – know God has plans for you. Today marks an amazing moment in your life: The beginning of something new. If you have life, you have work to accomplish and a purpose to fulfill.

Yet, to move forward into this new season, you must lift your head and fix your eyes ahead – not behind. Fix them on the God who is beckoning you forward. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:18-19).

Whatever let you down, be it another person, a circumstance or yourself, ask God to help you let it go. Although it may feel that the evils of this world have prevailed in your life, God still has His grip on you. He has plans to prosper you, to give you hope and a future!

Here are a few tips for today to help you move away from loneliness:

1. Get out of hiding.

Take a moment to note a few advisors and friends in your life who believe in you and who have your back. Tell them you are still struggling. They likely have no idea! Then open your heart to receive their words and prayers of faith-filled encouragement.

2. Ask God to bring you fresh vision.

If you are struggling to find hope and to connect with your calling, get into prayer and ask God to give you that goal – that vision He has for your new life. Then, run towards it.

3. Take care of your physiological needs.

Change is taxing – physically, mentally, emotionally, even spiritually. Remember to drink water, get sleep and eat healthy foods. It is even okay, and even purifying, to cry! Do not neglect your needs. You matter.

Through it all, remember how much God loves you. His plans for you are good. You may not understand why this is happening, but He has not forsaken you. Unlike humans who fail us – we even fail ourselves – He will never leave you. He is walking beside you in this transition. You are not alone.