Day 4 Novena to Find Work

Take heart.  There's a better world in store for you.  It is only the malice of God's enemies that is preventing you from having a worthwhile vocation.  Believe that God holds you secure in His hands; He loves you; He wants what's best for you.  Never lose hope.

                                         Day Four

Work is Prayer
Looking for work is a humbling experience.  Having to ask for help is humbling, and depending on the circumstances, it can even be demeaning.  Today, we are going to stop thinking about ourselves by taking the focus off ourselves and try to help others.  Let's go to a nearby nursing home.  Call up first and tell the receptionist that you have some free time, and you'd like to visit with someone who needs a visit.  Make the arrangements and do it.

Personally, I find this very difficult to do.  I don't know why.  But I did push myself to do it.  Once there, everything went amazingly smooth.  I was introduced to an elderly gentleman who was sitting in the recreation room with the game of Jenga, in front of him.  He asked me if I'd like to play Jenga.  "Sure," I said. That was it.  We played and carried on a conversation getting to know each other.

You know what happened?  During that time, I didn't think of my sorry situation, once.  I left the visit with a smile on my face.

I made a friend.  I spent some time interacting with a lonely human being.  I felt happy and I think he did, too.

If you already have someone in a nursing home, then go visit them.  Likewise, someone in a hospital.

On the way out the door, stop and get an employment application.  If you take it home, fill it out and mail it back in or better yet, on your next visit, take it in.

Thank God for the blessings you received from this visit.  And check off the beatitude "Visit the sick."

Prayer

Through the intercession of St. Joseph I ask for work that will bring me close to You, My Lord.  I pray that the work be enough to provide for those who depend on me.  I only ask to serve You, Lord, and to feel secure in Your Love.  

Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

The image used is shard under a creative commons license.  The original image is by Shalawesome at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shalawesome/1322558630/