It’s not just the initial job loss that causes depression, but a “cascade of negative life events.” Christians can prepare for these situations by viewing them from the right perspective and planning ahead.

In our challenging economic times, the threat of unemployment is real for just about everyone. Here are ten tips to help you prepare for a job loss.

In today’s unpredictable economy, two things are certain: (1) the future is uncertain, and circumstances change; and (2) God is faithful, and He never changes.

When your friend has lost his job, or if he is struggling with identity in a new job, you may not know what to do or say. The first thing you can do is offer hope and encouragement. Sometimes the best encouragement is listening. Listen to your friend and allow him time to vent a little. But don’t encourage self-pity, and be careful of sounding spiritually superior.

A number of years ago I watched a film about Jim Jones and his People’s Temple cult. One of the things that struck me when watching the film was how they presented themselves as a caring community. When someone came to the church without a job, at the end of the service they were introduced to their new employer. When someone came to church without a place to stay, they were assisted with that. Every week church members wrote hundreds of letters to visitors thanking them for being a part of their service, and what a wonderful church it was.

I can remember people around me shaking their heads and saying how terrible these techniques were. All the time I was thinking to myself, “Are you kidding me? If we did things like this our churches would be bursting at the seams!”

If you’re a Christian, what you have in your relationship to the Savoir is infinitely more valuable than the stuff we always seem to long for. Plasma TV’s, iPods, and new cars will one day be in the junkyard or recycle bin. But our life in Christ only grows richer and deeper and cant’ be taken away from us.

It’s encouraging to know that God uses these trials in our lives to build character and to remind us about how much we need Him. I think men, more than women, need these “loving reminders” to keep us from believing that we can do things on our own – without God. Be glad when you go through tough times. Remember that God loves you, and He wants the best for you. He allows us to experience these trials so that He can continue the work in us.

You see, a few weeks ago, my employer decided that they no longer wanted me – no warning; no idea it was coming at all. Now, at 37, I’ve been working for twenty years. I’ve seen others go through this kind of thing, in fact I came close just a few years ago, but I “dodged the bullet” that time. This time, I wasn’t so fortunate.

Banks may collapse and homeowners may foreclose on mortgages, but Seventh-day Adventist small business owner Richard Stevenson says he’s doing more praying than panicking these days.