Today a co-worker cleared out their personal belongings from their work area. I was the designated person for the company to assist them in this uncomfortable and painful process.
Any firing for whatever reason is painful. It creates a very lonely feeling. Though your logic and reason will tell you that you are not the first to be fired and will not be the last, the emotions scream from the shock of it all. This breaking of a work relationship should never be done from any personal pride or power. It should be done after much dialogue between the two parties (the employer and the employee). But alas, I think that is just being hopeful --- too hopeful perhaps.
Between brothers and sisters within the faith of Christ and within the church, the ground is wet from the tears of many broken men and women over firings within the church. Most of those tears come from those recently removed from ministry responsibility and not from those remaining in power. My caution is to those that remain that we not cover our shameful treatment of brothers and sisters by passing this type of judgment under the banner called for the good of the church, for the witness of Christ, or for His Kingdom (whatever that may mean). We may find one day that those that are no longer among us were actually sent from God to us to help us get our focus off of our own plans and ourselves and to refocused on Him and his ways.
Lessons of this caliper are very difficult to see, or to hear, or to understand. Any many fail to do so.