Thoughts: Hannah's Blog

This day marks the one year anniversary of one of the tumultuous times in my career journey. Last year this day, August 28 started like any other normal day and I did not have any doubts as to how drastic it was going to end. There was an all hands planned and I had forgotten about it by night. I’d gone to put my laptop to sleep and that’s when I saw the reminder and joined 5-10 minutes late. All I heard was one single statement and some laughter in the backdrop and they were saying they are closing the call and that they will start a different call to answer our queries. That one sentence raised so many questions.

I frantically pinged my manager to find out what just happened. He said, he had also joined late and missed the actual announcement. We decided to join the other call that they had mentioned. Got to know on what was happening, the product in which we were working on was coming to a close soon and we were to be moved to a different company. (Not a different product in the same company but to a different company altogether!)

Who all consisted of this “we”, we were yet to be informed. They said most of you will move, you will get new offers from the new company and you are to resign the current company in 2 weeks time. There were phone calls and pings happening back and forth with frantic discussions on what is to become of us.

Just the previous December, I got to see Layoffs happening in close quarters, because of cost cutting. Few months prior to that, lots of people moved, especially in the top management. Those were all signs pointing to what was eventually going to happen to the product, but I’d failed to pick up on those. Also, I’d never thought we’d be moved to a different company as a whole team. Over the next few days, we were assured of a job and we were thankful for it as we were not being laid off.

And so in the middle of September, 30 of us moved to a new company. That incident brought us all closer together, people from different teams and backgrounds, all swept up by the same tides of change, journeyed together, friendships forged under fire. We helped each other with the process to be followed, forms to be filled, documents to be downloaded. We shared critical information with each other, and sort of encouraged each other over conversations and coffee.

It was around this time that I had written a quote in my native language that said “Whatever happens , happens for good.” as a word of encouragement on my colleague’s white board. Looks like this started a big discussion in the team on a day when I was not present. The exact content of the discussion, I did not get to know. But a new colleague (whom I had never interacted before) who was part of the 30, told me later that he came to know of me from the quote and it was later that we got to meet face to face.

This seemingly small incident made me realise the power of words! Amidst all the noise of negativity going around, there were some solid voices(not just me) who spoke encouragingly. Remembering that God is in control and that none of these things took Him by surprise was a comforting thought that I could hold on to when the times were tough. Things were in play, long before we became aware of it. Things started becoming clear in hindsight. Though I failed to grasp the entire meaning behind it all, and got caught up in the uncertainty of it all, the constant presence of Christ and his assurances, helped me ride through it all.

In the end, I could even see the silver linings on the clouds of change that was coming over us. With gratitude in my heart, I moved forward and here I stand by the grace of God that carried me through the ups and downs, the highs and lows, the hills and valleys. (the unexpected financial blessings, the uncertainty of having a job) Writing all this down made me remember this classic song:

I’ve had many tears and sorrows, Had questions for tomorrow.
There’ve been times I didn’t know right from wrong.
But in every situation, God gave blessed consolation;
That my trials come to only make me strong.

Through it all. Through it all.
Oh I’ve learned to trust in Jesus, I’ve learned to trust in God.
Through it all. Through it all.
Oh I’ve learned to depend upon His word.

I thank God for the mountains,
And I thank Him for the valleys.
I thank Him for the storms He’s brought me through.
For if I’d never had a problem, I wouldn’t know that He could solve them.
I’d never know what faith in God could do.