Torch, Fall 1983

= = • • • = , When There Is No WORK by Dr. Charles Dolph The impact of unemployment upon a family ' s financial wellbeing is bad. Its impact upon the family ' s emotional functioning is worse. Its impact upon the unemployed father may be shattering. The initial reaction of many men to being laid off or terminated is anger. They get angry at their bosses , the government, the economy, and President Reagan. Unless anger is controlled or constructively redirected , it may develop into bitterness and cynicism. Behind the anger and bitterness, though , lies a much more closely guarded feeling . This feeling may not be expressed as freely as anger or bitterness because it is not consistent with American culture ' s stereotype of men. The unemployed man feels threatened and vulnerable. Why do men who are laid off feel this way , sometimes to the point that they become depressed or make poor judgments? When these emotional reactions are extreme, they are usually the result of faulty , unbiblical beliefs which are widespread in American society, even in fundamental churches . Many men believe that their personal significance and value are based upon their ability to provide economically for their families . Often men measure their success in life and their value to their families in economic terms . As long as they can provide the money to have a nice home , vacations , a nice car or two , new clothes each fall , and Christian school for the children , they feel as though they are an important part of the family . When that ability to provide is removed through unemployment , they may feel unimportant and unnecessary. Not a few unemployed fathers have lamented , "My family doesn't need me anymore ," or "My family would be better off without me." These feelings of worthlessness and crushed self– esteem result from a philosophy of life which is more world centered than Bible centered. The Scriptures make it very clear that personal value is not earned but imputed. Men are valuable because God created them and died to redeem them, not because they earn $30 ,000 per year. Unemployment does not change men's spiritual standing in God' s eyes. Unemployment does not prevent men from serving God and living spiritually effective lives. Men who simply accept God's claims that they are personally valuable and able to please God regardless of the circumstances in which they find themselves are much more likely to successfully cope with unemployment than men whose personal value is dependent upon their own efforts, a particular income , or other material things . The latter are the men who feel