Should He Accept Employment at a Casino?

Dear Aunt Dara,

Last summer I was unexpectedly laid off.  While I have been working at a minimum wage job for the last 6 weeks the bills are getting harder and harder to pay.  I recently applied for a job as a security guard for $15 per hour, but when they called me for an interview my wife was very upset to hear that I could be working for a casino.  She feels very strongly against gambling and only wants me to take a job if it is honoring to God.  There is another even higher paying job that I am waiting to hear back from, but until I actually get an offer I am viewing all such possibilities as birds in the bush.  I want to provide for my family and I also want my wife and God to be happy.  I had the interview at the casino and I should hear back from them in the next few days (if they decide that they want to hire me).  Even if I get that call I would still have to take a test to confirm that I have the right knowledge and attitude to be a security guard.  I'm reasonably sure that I could pass any such test, but I wonder if I should possibly fail it on purpose to avoid having my wife get upset.  What should I do?  

Employment Dilemma

Dear Employment Dilemma,

First of all, thank you for trusting me with your issue.  I know how hard it is to lose a job and try to support a family with an inadequate income.  I pray that you are able to get a stable, well-paying job soon.  This I do know: God will provide for our needs and He will take care of us even when things don't look like they are going to work out.

As for your situation with the security guard job, I realize that you don't want to upset your wife.  I'm sure that she understands that you want to provide for your family and that your present job is not meeting your needs.  However, you said that you want her and God to be happy with your decision.  Forget for a moment what you and your wife want and ask yourself what you think God wants you to do?  Accepting a job as a security guard means that even though you would not be gambling, you would be working in that environment.  Do you think that you could do that and still honor God and still maintain your Christian influence on others?  You might want to prayerfully study Romans chapter 14 and First Thessalonians 5:22 before making your decision.  In any case, I don't think that you should deliberately fail the test for this job.  You should trust God and do your best on the exam.  However, please consider that God may be testing you by allowing you to have this opportunity just to see what you decide to do.  Regardless, trust God that if having this job is not His will for you, there will be a better job for you in the future.

To share an example with you, I knew a family in which the husband was laid off from his job six times in 10 years.  When he was laid off the first time, the wife got a temporary minimum wage job and he stayed home with the children (who were 3 and 5 years old) and drew unemployment while looking for another job.  They had a modest savings account that they had to use because the wife’s income and the husband’s unemployment would not cover their bills.  Finally after months of that arrangement, their savings account balance was $0, he had received his last unemployment check, and it was the last day of her temporary job when his workplace called him and told him that he was returning to work on Monday.  That taught them a tremendous lesson that helped them to weather the next five lay-offs.  So, trust me on this—if you trust God and put Him first in your life, He will take care of you and your family.

God bless,
Aunt Dara