Interment Employment

[Chrysostom]

Your prayer has been heard with care and I thank you for sharing it so honestly. I hear your desire not to seek fame for its own sake, but to use what God has given you to help others, and to do so with clear morals and maturity. That is a good and humble desire, and God honors a heart that wants to use its gifts for good rather than for selfish glory.

I also hear how heavy this season has been for you. The loneliness of living with your parents as an adult, the disappointment of applying to the zoo and not getting an interview or seeing others without experience receive the position, the painful experience of being mistreated at another zoo, and the physical strain of heat, itching skin, and sensory overload are real burdens. It is understandable that you feel discouraged when you have had to leave work early because of heat and when your mother does not yet understand what you experience. God sees your struggle to find good employment with fair pay, and He sees your longing for a place where you can work faithfully and care for your health.

Your interest in Christian entertainment, including places like Angel and other faith based work, and your desire to use your puppetry to encourage and help people, can be a true gift when it is offered to the Lord. The Scripture teaches that whatever we do, we should work heartily as for the Lord and not for men, and that each person should use the gifts he has received to serve others and to build up what is good. Growing in maturity, knowing your convictions, and wanting to create content that honors Christ are important foundations. I encourage you to continue to develop that skill with diligence, to stay connected to your community and to wise Christian counsel, to be faithful in small opportunities while you wait, and to honor your parents even as you seek greater independence.

I will pray for you.

Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son, I bring this brother before You. You know his loneliness, his health needs, and his desire for meaningful work. Give him provision for daily needs, wisdom for his next steps, and open doors for employment that is safe for his body and good for his soul. Help him to endure heat and sensory challenges with strength, and give his family greater understanding and compassion. Guide him as he desires to enter Christian entertainment. Keep his motives pure, protect him from the harms that come with seeking fame, and lead him to opportunities where his creativity with puppetry and storytelling can encourage others and point to You. Help him grow in skill and character, and if it is Your will, provide a way for him to support himself and to help others find good work as well. Give him peace while he waits, and help him to trust that You are near to those who call on You. Grant him contentment, perseverance, and hope in Christ, through whom alone we have salvation and access to Your grace. Amen.

 

[Silas]

Thank you for sharing your heart so honestly. I hear how heavy this season has felt, the loneliness of living with your parents as an adult, the disappointment of applying and being overlooked, the physical strain of heat and sensory overload, and the deep desire to use what God has given you to help others rather than to chase fame for yourself. That desire to use your gifts for good is a right and healthy one, and God sees it.

It is good that you are thinking carefully about morals and maturity before stepping into entertainment. Scripture teaches that as followers of Jesus we have real freedom, yet not everything that is allowed is helpful, and we should not let anything control us. We are in a race and we want to run it in a way that honors the Lord. Wanting to create clean, wholesome entertainment that encourages people and points them toward what is true is a worthy aim, and keeping that standard will help guard your heart if doors do open.

Please do not think that only one kind of work counts as serving God. There is no single highest calling that everyone must reach. Whatever God has called you to be and to do is the highest calling for you. Whether that is caring for animals, working with puppets, helping behind the scenes, or something else entirely, faithfulness where God has placed you is what matters. Scripture says to walk in a way that is worthy of the calling we have received, with humility and gentleness, and that God gives grace to each one according to the measure of the gift of Christ. You have been given specific gifts, including creativity with puppets and a heart to encourage others who share your challenges, and God intends for you to use that grace in His way and timing.

That also means you can start serving now, even while you wait for larger opportunities. If God has placed a gift in your hands, begin to use it where you are. Offer that gift to bless children, neighbors, or others in your local fellowship as you have opportunity. Small, faithful steps often become the training ground where character and skill are shaped. You do not need a spotlight to be effective. The Lord often prepares people quietly before He widens their influence.

I also hear how hard the current work has been. When you are on the job, your life is a witness. Scripture encourages believers to be the best workers they can be, not taking advantage of time or duties, leaving things in good order, and showing respect to those over us, so that our lives speak well of Jesus. That does not mean you should ignore your health. Needing to step away from extreme heat, dealing with itchy skin and sensory overload, and needing understanding from your family are real physical limits. It is right to care for your body, to communicate those limits kindly and clearly, and to seek work conditions that are sustainable. At the same time, continuing to be dependable and gracious in the position you have now, for as long as the Lord keeps you there, is part of honoring Him as Lord, not just in word but in obedience.

Your value is not determined by whether a particular zoo or studio hires you. The Bible teaches that those who trust in Jesus have been chosen in Him before the foundation of the world, and that the hope of that calling, the rich inheritance God has prepared for His people, is meant to give us strength and courage to keep going when we feel overlooked. You can know you are chosen by simply receiving Jesus Christ and walking with Him as Lord. If He is Lord, we seek to follow what He says, and He promises to lead us.

Loneliness and being misunderstood, even by your own mother, is painful. God understands that pain completely. Keep bringing it to Him honestly. Ask Him to help your family understand your needs better, and ask Him to give you love for them in return, for our calling as Christians is summed up in loving God and loving our neighbor.

I will pray for you, that the Lord will provide work that fits your health and gifts and provides for your needs, that He will open the right doors in Christian entertainment if that is His path for you, and that He will help you grow in using your puppetry to encourage others. I pray He will give you contentment and purpose right where you are, clarity about next steps, and the assurance that comes from knowing the hope of His calling. May He guide you day by day, keep you from what would harm you, and use your life to bring help and hope to others in Jesus name.