Case Study: “I Thought It Was Just a Job Problem”
Topic 8 Case Study
“I Thought It Was Just a Job Problem”
This case study is designed for Coaching Ministry Foundations and supports Topic 8’s five-step Ministry Coaching Conversation: welcome and permission, listen and clarify, discern truth and grace, identify faithful action, and close with prayer and accountability. The uploaded Topic 8 transcript emphasizes that the model helps bring confidence, consistency, soul awareness, Scripture, Ministry Sciences insight, and prayer into the conversation.
Case Study
Luis had already decided what the problem was.
“It’s my job,” he told Priscilla before they even sat down. “That’s the whole thing. I need a new job. I’m tired of being overlooked, tired of being underpaid, tired of people acting like I’m invisible.”
Priscilla was a Life Coach Minister at a local Soul Center. She knew Luis from church, but not deeply. He was a maintenance supervisor at a large apartment complex, a father of three, and the kind of man who always helped set up chairs before church events. He was dependable, but lately he had become quieter. His wife had mentioned to someone that he seemed angry all the time.
Priscilla welcomed him warmly.
“Luis, I’m glad you came. Before we begin, I want to be clear. I’m not here to control your decision or tell you what job to take. I can listen, ask questions, pray with you if you want, and help you discern a faithful next step before God. Does that sound okay?”
Luis shrugged. “That’s fine. I just need to figure out how to get out.”
Priscilla smiled gently. “Then maybe we can begin with this question: Where are you right now—not only with your job, but in your soul?”
Luis looked away. “I don’t know. Angry. Tired. Embarrassed.”
Priscilla did not rush. She remembered Proverbs 20:5: “Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.”
She asked, “What feels most painful about the job right now?”
Luis answered quickly. “They promoted a younger guy over me. I trained him. Then they gave him the position.”
“That sounds deeply discouraging,” Priscilla said. “What did that promotion say to you?”
Luis swallowed hard. “That I’m not enough. That I missed my chance. That maybe I’m just the guy who fixes toilets and gets called when something breaks.”
Priscilla noticed that the issue was not only employment. There was shame in his voice. There was identity pain. There was spiritual discouragement.
She asked permission to explore more.
“Luis, would it be okay if we look at this from a few different angles? Sometimes what looks like one problem is connected to several parts of life.”
“Sure,” he said. “I guess.”
Priscilla used the Christian Philosophy 15 aspects quietly as a discernment lens. She did not read them like a checklist. She simply let them guide her questions.
“How often are you feeling this anger?” she asked.
“Every day.”
“When does it hit hardest?”
“Driving home. I sit in the driveway sometimes because I don’t want to bring it into the house.”
“What happens at home when you do bring it in?”
Luis sighed. “My wife asks what’s wrong, and I say, ‘Nothing.’ Then I snap at the kids.”
Priscilla gently asked, “Where have you seen this pattern before?”
Luis was quiet for a long time.
“My dad,” he said. “He worked hard his whole life. Nobody thanked him. He came home mad. I promised I would not become him.”
Now the story opened. The job problem had roots.
Priscilla asked, “When you think about your dad, what do you admire, and what do you grieve?”
Luis wiped his eyes. “He stayed. He provided. But he never seemed happy. I used to think he was disappointed in us. Now I wonder if he was disappointed in himself.”
Priscilla let the silence breathe.
After a moment, she said, “Luis, I hear several things. I hear a real workplace disappointment. I hear exhaustion. I hear anger. I hear love for your family. I hear fear that you are becoming someone you promised not to become. And I hear a deeper question: ‘Who am I if I am not recognized?’”
Luis nodded slowly. “That’s it.”
Priscilla asked, “Would it be okay if we bring Scripture into this?”
“Yes,” Luis said.
She opened to Psalm 23:3 and read, “He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
Then she said, “This does not answer every job question today. But it does remind us that God is not only interested in your employment status. He is restoring your soul and guiding your path.”
Luis leaned back. “I’ve been asking God for a new job. I haven’t asked Him to restore my soul.”
Priscilla asked, “What truth do you need to face?”
Luis thought for a while. “I’m angry, and I’ve been taking it home.”
“What grace do you need to receive?”
“That God sees me even when my boss doesn’t.”
“What action might be faithful this week?”
Luis first said, “Apply for five jobs.”
Priscilla did not reject the answer, but she slowed him down.
“That may be part of it. But if God is restoring your soul, what action would touch the deeper issue too?”
Luis looked down. “I need to apologize to my wife. And maybe tell her what happened instead of pretending I’m fine.”
“That sounds faithful,” Priscilla said. “What else?”
“I’ll update my resume Saturday morning, but I won’t make a rushed decision while I’m angry.”
Priscilla smiled. “That sounds like wisdom.”
Before closing, she asked a boundary question.
“Luis, you mentioned anger every day. Have you ever felt like you might hurt yourself or someone else?”
Luis shook his head. “No. I’m angry, but not like that.”
“Thank you for answering honestly,” Priscilla said. “If that ever changes, I want you to reach out for immediate help. And if the anger feels too heavy to manage, it may be wise to include a counselor. Coaching can help with discernment and next steps, but you do not have to carry deep anger alone.”
Luis nodded. “I understand.”
Priscilla asked if he would like to pray. Luis hesitated.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“That’s okay,” Priscilla said. “I can guide it simply. I’ll say ‘thanksgiving,’ and you can name one thing. Then I’ll say ‘need,’ and you can name one need.”
Luis agreed.
Priscilla began, “Lord, we come before You. Thanksgiving.”
Luis whispered, “My family.”
“Need.”
“My soul,” Luis said, voice breaking. “Restore my soul.”
Priscilla prayed, “Lord, restore Luis’ soul. Guide him in paths of righteousness. Give him courage to speak honestly, humility to apologize, wisdom about work, and grace to know that his worth is not decided by a promotion. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Luis left with two faithful next steps: apologize honestly to his wife that evening and update his resume Saturday morning without making a fear-driven decision.
The problem had started as “I need a new job.” But through 15-aspect discernment, Luis began to see the whole story before God.
15-Aspects Discernment in the Case Study
| Aspect | What Priscilla Discerned | Coaching Question or Insight |
|---|---|---|
| Quantitative | Luis felt anger every day. | “How often are you feeling this anger?” |
| Spatial | The driveway became the place where he sat before entering the house. | “Where does this hit hardest?” |
| Kinematic | He was stuck in a repeated pattern: work hurt, driveway silence, home anger. | “What pattern keeps repeating?” |
| Physical | He was tired and carrying stress in his body. | “How is this affecting your sleep, energy, or body?” |
| Biotic | His role as husband and father was affected by his work pain. | “How is this touching your family life?” |
| Sensitive | Anger, shame, embarrassment, and sadness were beneath the job issue. | “What feels most painful?” |
| Analytical | Luis believed, “I am not enough.” | “What did that promotion say to you?” |
| Formative | He needed practical job-search skills and emotional maturity. | “What skill or habit needs attention now?” |
| Lingual | Luis kept saying “Nothing” at home instead of speaking honestly. | “What needs to be said?” |
| Social | His wife and children were being affected by his silence and anger. | “Who else is carrying the weight of this?” |
| Economic | Income, promotion, career future, and stewardship mattered. | “What wise work-related step should you take?” |
| Aesthetic | His life rhythm lacked peace and harmony. | “What would a healthier pattern look like?” |
| Juridical | Workplace fairness and family responsibility were both involved. | “What responsibility belongs to you now?” |
| Ethical | Love required apology, honesty, patience, and humility. | “What would love require this week?” |
| Faith | Luis needed to trust that God saw him even when others overlooked him. | “What grace do you need to receive from God?” |
Truth, Grace, and Action
Truth
Luis had been wounded by being overlooked at work. He was angry, embarrassed, and ashamed. He was also bringing that anger home and hiding behind the word “nothing.”
Grace
God saw Luis even when his employer did not. Luis’ worth was not defined by a promotion, job title, paycheck, or workplace recognition. Psalm 23:3 reminded him that God restores the soul and guides the path.
Action
Luis chose two faithful next steps:
Apologize to his wife and tell her honestly what happened.
Update his resume Saturday morning without making a rushed decision from anger.
Ministry Sciences Reflection
Ministry Sciences helps the Life Coach Minister see Luis as a whole person before God. His issue was not only vocational. It included emotional pain, family history, marital communication, fatherhood, financial concern, identity, spiritual discouragement, and practical decision-making.
The 15 aspects helped Priscilla avoid a shallow response. She did not simply say, “Get a new job,” “Pray harder,” or “Stop being angry.” She listened beneath the presenting issue. She noticed that Luis’ workplace disappointment had become a soul wound, a family pattern, a communication problem, and a faith struggle.
This is the value of 15-aspect discernment. It helps the Life Coach Minister ask better questions without becoming the fixer. The coach does not need to solve every aspect. The coach helps the person see what is happening, receive grace, and choose one faithful next step.
Boundary Wisdom
Priscilla did not act as a therapist, career counselor, attorney, or marriage counselor. She served as a Life Coach Minister. She listened, asked questions, brought Scripture with permission, helped Luis discern Truth, Grace, and Action, and encouraged wise next steps.
She also asked a safety question when Luis described daily anger. This was important. If Luis had expressed danger to himself or others, Priscilla would have needed to seek immediate help. If his anger continued to overwhelm him, a referral to a qualified counselor would be appropriate.
Good coaching ministry includes humility about limits.
Reflection Questions
What did Luis think his main problem was at the beginning of the case study?
What deeper issues emerged as Priscilla listened?
Which of the 15 aspects seemed most important in Luis’ situation?
How did Priscilla use the 15 aspects without turning the conversation into an interrogation?
What question helped uncover Luis’ family background pattern?
How did Psalm 23:3 speak to Luis’ deeper need?
Where do you see Truth, Grace, and Action in the case study?
What mistake might Priscilla have made if she tried to fix the situation too quickly?
Why was it wise for Priscilla to ask about safety and anger?
What is one faithful next step you would have encouraged Luis to consider?