Taking the Pink Slip

Ralph Hanahan took Christ's words seriously—and laid down hos livelihood for his friend

By Sherri Langton

Things didn’t look good at work for Ralph Hanahan. In late summer 2008, the state of South Carolina—his employer for 22 years—struggled with budget problems. All agencies would be cutting expenses, and some might reduce their workforce. The one in which Ralph served three years as a computer tech, Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities in Greenville, was a likely candidate for cutbacks.

Over the next few weeks, Ralph and his wife Jenny discussed how a layoff would impact them. “Things would be tough,” Ralph recalls. “The national economy had begun a severe downturn. Layoffs were in the news almost nightly. Jenny worked as a real estate agent but was bringing home little because of the housing market slump.”

Despite these realities, Ralph and Jenny came to the same conclusion: If the choice of a layoff came down between his co-worker Mike Camp and him, Ralph should be the one to go.

Sounds strange, doesn’t it? Especially since Ralph had seniority over Mike in the state system and was within seven years of retiring. But Mike and Ralph had become close friends. Plus, Ralph was in his mid-fifties with a grown son; Mike was just forty years old and married with four young children between the ages of six and ten. “The youngest, Aaron, was severely autistic,” Ralph explains. “He had been making remarkable progress in therapy. Jenny and I felt that we couldn’t just stand by and let a layoff end a salary and medical benefits the Camps needed.”

Prayer and Scripture

As they prayed about the matter, Ralph and Jenny found guidance in the Scriptures:

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends,” Jesus said (John 15:13 niv). They related this verse to Ralph’s job situation. “I wouldn’t be literally laying down my life for Mike, but I did see my job as part of my life.

I felt that God wanted me to lay it down for Mike’s sake.”

The Hanahans also read this verse from Luke’s gospel: “Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it” (17:33 niv). Most people protect themselves when hardship comes along. Could Jesus have been telling Ralph that self-sacrifice was the best way to preserve his life?

Those scriptures, along with prayer, cemented the Hanahans’ decision. Ralph notified Governor’s School that if someone had to be eliminated, he would take the layoff for Mike. God’s peace held him and Jenny steady.

Final Word

As weeks went by, the economy worsened, and the school began laying off some part-time, non-permanent staff. When Ralph returned to work from a short vacation in October, rumors of more layoffs were circulating. Sure enough, the Friday before Thanksgiving break, Ralph was called to the human resources office and told that a job was being cut. “Why don’t you think about it over the weekend,” the HR director suggested, referring to Ralph’s offer to take the layoff for Mike. “But I didn’t need to think about it,” Ralph remembers. “My mind was made up.”

Ralph got home around 4:30 that afternoon—earlier than usual. His wife took one look at him and knew instantly he’d been let go. He wasn’t sure how she’d react. “With the real estate meltdown, Jenny needed help with her personal bills,” Ralph says. “I knew this decision would financially hurt her as well as me.”

When Ralph explained the circumstances to Jenny, she told him, “There isn’t anything else you could have done.” That relieved him. They both knew his taking the layoff was the right thing to do and that God would provide for them somehow.

National Exposure

All this time, Ralph and Jenny thought the layoff was just between the Camps and them, but Mike’s mother contacted Good Morning America about it. In December 2008, the whole story came out with Mike’s family, Jenny, and Ralph on national TV— the Camps’ way of saying thanks.

Ralph was surprised and embarrassed by all the attention. “We hadn’t intended for this to go any further than Mike and his family,” he says. “It saddened me for our nation, that what we did was considered a big deal. Not long ago, it would have been part of the ‘American way,’ but now people saw it as newsworthy. Has compassion died in America? Maybe it’s declining, but my heart says that many others are doing similar things that aren’t being noticed.”

The Hanahans received numerous e-mail messages, blog posts, and well-wishes after that TV appearance. The comments ranged from “My faith in humanity has been restored” to “You have shown us what a true Christian example is.” Though grateful that others were inspired by what they’d seen or heard, Ralph agonized over why the spotlight should be on him and how he could focus all the praise on God. This led him to think of Jesus’ words: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden . . . In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:14,16 niv).

Challenges and Blessings

The next few months of job searching proved tough. Ralph had been without work when their son was young, so he knew things wouldn’t be easy. But at the time of his layoff from the school, South Carolina ranked second in the nation for unemployment. Ralph filed applications online and fought discouragement when no work came through. To make things worse, Jenny didn’t have one house sale during that time. “We depended on the prayers of our family, friends, and concerned strangers,” Ralph says. “Thanks to them, we continued to thrive on God’s peace. Even on our hardest days, neither Jenny nor I regretted my taking the layoff for Mike.”

In April the Hanahans’ prayers were finally answered: Ralph was offered work from the state at a different agency, and then a second offer came at a higher salary. The job allowed him to reenter the state’s retirement system as well. He and Jenny knew this extra blessing came from God, since most state jobs were frozen at the time.

Recently Ralph accepted a position as IT project manager for a technical college. His salary is close to what he was making at Governor’s School.

Looking back, Ralph wonders how they survived financially during those five months without work. Except for small sums generously given by a friend and a one-time small gift from a well-meaning stranger, the Hanahans received no assistance from anyone. Through the comfort and providence of the Lord, they made it.

Ralph also learned several lessons along the way. He learned how a couple supports each other during job loss. He learned that sometimes God uses a bad situation to teach what it means to do the right thing, that God is still in charge of the affairs of His people, and that He will not abandon His children; He will provide in His time and way if they’re patient.