It wasn’t long after I got to work one morning last week when I knew something was up. A coworker looked at me with tear-filled eyes and said, “It’s been a rough morning.” Then the rumors began: “I heard this-or-that department might be going under;” “Did you hear about so-and-so?;” “Someone said 250 people are getting laid off today.”

Well—as uncommon as it might be—this time the rumors turned out to be true. Maybe it’s just because I’ve only been in the “real world” for a little over six months, but I can honestly say I’ve never experienced anything like it. People always say nonsensical things like, “You could feel the tension in the air.” I never understood that, but I don’t know how else to describe that morning.

Little huddles of crying and whispering people were forming throughout the hallways. Others were standing up to peer over their cubicle walls to see if they could find something out. E-mails were shooting back and forth between coworkers. Everyone had the same question on their minds: Who’s it going to be next?

I honestly went through a good part of the morning thinking I had lost my job. It just made sense. I’ve been there less than a year, and my department is heavily influenced by the housing market. When I saw all of my coworkers—many of whom I knew weren’t going to lose their jobs—going into the conference room for a meeting I wasn’t invited to, I was all but convinced. (It turned out to be the result of miscommunication. I was supposed to be at the meeting but wasn’t told about it.)

During this time that I thought I had lost my job, I was chatting with a friend online. The uncertainty of the morning had caused me to panic. I was giving my friend a play-by-play of the morning’s events and telling him I didn’t know what to do. His response struck me:

“Sounds like a good opportunity to meet the need,” he typed. “Try to be Christ in whatever happens today! I'm praying for you.”

He was exactly right. He was referring to the story of Thomas that our pastor had shared with us the night before. After Jesus rose from the dead, the disciples told Thomas they had seen Jesus. Thomas responded, “Unless I see in his hand the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe” (John 20:25). Jesus appeared a second time eight days later. He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe” (John 20:27).

Jesus understood what Thomas needed in order to believe, and he met that need. As Christians, we are called to follow Christ’s example—to be Christ in whatever situation we find ourselves. That means meeting the needs of those around us and doing whatever it takes to help others believe.

Whether I had lost my job that morning or not, it was an opportunity to meet the need of the moment. If I had, I could have demonstrated a Christ-like attitude of joy despite trials and of thankfulness for all the blessings God has given me. Because I didn’t, I tried to encourage my coworkers and let them know I was praying for them.

The effects of the crumbling economy are now impacting Des Moines. All of us probably know someone who has lost his or her job or is in danger of losing it. It can be a devastating blow, but for those who know the Lord, it can be a light momentary affliction that is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison (2 Corinthians 4:17). Who do you know who has a need you can meet today?