This week’s blog is an excerpt from my book, How Long, O Lord, How Long? Devotions for the Unemployed and Those Who Love Them. Put yourself in the shoes of someone who has lost their job, what do you think they miss the most? Your first thought might be money, the benefits or the job title. I missed something else, read about it. The insights might help you to help someone who is currently unemployed.

REMEMBER THE TV SHOW Cheers from the early 1990s? It was centered around people who worked at, or regularly visited, a bar. The theme song was “Where everybody knows your name.” It was a “community” of people who enjoyed being with each other, who teased each other, who laughed and cried together.

Work provided “community” for us. You may not have loved everyone you worked with, but you enjoyed most of them. Most of us spend more hours with the people we work with than we do with our family. I had a team that I worked with and I had a team who reported to me. I knew many of their family members and, at the very least, heard stories about their families.

I miss them. It makes me sad that I don’t see them regularly. I miss the chance to affirm them and be affirmed by them. While I may stay connected and remain friends with those I enjoyed the most, I may never work with any of them again. It’s left a hole in my life that I haven’t yet replaced. How about you? Do you have that hole in your life right now?

There is a tendency for many in our situation to withdraw, to not be around others. That’s the exact opposite of what we need to do. Community has always been very important. God did not create us to be alone, especially at a time like this. Community is where we can glean support and encouragement. Hebrews 10:24-25 reminds us that in community we “spur one another on” and not to give up “meeting together.” And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Spend time with good friends and family. Reconnect with those you haven’t spent much time with because you were previously “busy working.” People will welcome a chance to be with you because they are part of your community and they hurt for you. Focus on 1 Corinthians 12:26, especially as it talks about how the body all works together. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Don’t miss the opportunity to expand your community, especially with those who are in a similar situation. If you know someone else who is out of work, reach out and get together. You can be community for each other.