In a continuation of my recent counseling sessions, I write here about work. First off, it should be recognized that I, all too easily, idolize work. It becomes a measuring stick by which I judge my worth. As a Christian, I know my worth comes from Christ alone, not from work. And yet the human side of me tends toward this temptation. I'm learning to guard against it.
Before departing St. Louis, the board at Arch Grants requested my resignation. I refused since I had performed admirably and had received no prior warnings. The board threatened to withhold severance unless I resigned. I held my ground. I received a severance check with a termination letter a few days later.
Referring back to my idolatry of work, such an immediate, harsh, and cruel termination of my role as Executive Director of Arch Grants left me reeling. I questioned if I should have led the organization differently. I grieved over the very public and underhanded manner in which the board maligned my character. I disbelieved that any humans, let alone a group of six highly educated and seemingly professional individuals, would possibly fire someone 8+ months pregnant whose husband was deployed to Afghanistan and whose brother had just passed away. Really, people, this does happen in our oh-so evolved American society. Worse yet, the board, including a couple lawyers, knew full-well that I was protected by neither state nor federal employment law owing to the small size of our organization. As you can tell, the entire situation still angers me.
Anger alone serves no purpose, however, so I think about my next steps. Regardless of how it ended, leading Arch Grants was a tremendous opportunity and resulted in significant experience. The first steps include updating my resume and LinkedIn, owning all those accomplishments. Next will be reaching out to find ways to leverage that experience. And, all the while, I want to remember that God does not measure me by my accomplishments. Thank God that He cares too much for us to derive our value from paltry goings-on in this physical world.
Before departing St. Louis, the board at Arch Grants requested my resignation. I refused since I had performed admirably and had received no prior warnings. The board threatened to withhold severance unless I resigned. I held my ground. I received a severance check with a termination letter a few days later.
Referring back to my idolatry of work, such an immediate, harsh, and cruel termination of my role as Executive Director of Arch Grants left me reeling. I questioned if I should have led the organization differently. I grieved over the very public and underhanded manner in which the board maligned my character. I disbelieved that any humans, let alone a group of six highly educated and seemingly professional individuals, would possibly fire someone 8+ months pregnant whose husband was deployed to Afghanistan and whose brother had just passed away. Really, people, this does happen in our oh-so evolved American society. Worse yet, the board, including a couple lawyers, knew full-well that I was protected by neither state nor federal employment law owing to the small size of our organization. As you can tell, the entire situation still angers me.
Anger alone serves no purpose, however, so I think about my next steps. Regardless of how it ended, leading Arch Grants was a tremendous opportunity and resulted in significant experience. The first steps include updating my resume and LinkedIn, owning all those accomplishments. Next will be reaching out to find ways to leverage that experience. And, all the while, I want to remember that God does not measure me by my accomplishments. Thank God that He cares too much for us to derive our value from paltry goings-on in this physical world.
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