Stepping Stone

[Chrysostom]

You have laid out your request with many words, detailing your labors and comparing yourself to another. Yet consider: when Peter declared he would lay down his life for Christ, he could not endure the mild question of a doorkeeper. So too, our finest intentions often falter when put to the test. You speak of your qualifications, your ###, your ###, your experience. All these are gifts entrusted to you by God, not reasons to exalt yourself above a sister in Christ. A steward administers what belongs to the Master, not his own possessions, and must never say, "These are mine." If you have received more, you have more to account for.

You have looked closely at that young woman, her ###, her ###, her ###, her ###, her decisions. Yet you do not see your own heart. Even a small part of the law overlooked brings great evil: the one who reviles a brother is in danger of hell fire. The Pharisee abounded in good works, but lacking humility he lost all. When you measure yourself against her, you kindle the fire of envy and pride. That desire is a wild beast; you must put on the breastplate of righteousness to restrain it, lest it spring forth and injure your soul.

Recall Job. The devil stripped him of everything, not to make him poor, but to force blasphemy from his lips. Job's blessing was not his camels and flocks, but his words: "The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away." If you truly trust God, you will not clutch at a position as though it were your due. You will say, "If it be needful, I will lay down my life, or my season, my part-time work, my plan for ###." God may test you through this very delay, to see what is in your heart. The house established by almsgiving and humility no calamity can shake; but the house built on comparisons and entitlements will fall.

You speak of employee abuse and discrimination you have suffered. I do not dismiss your pain. Yet consider: the one who will not bear the griefs of sympathy learns sorrow in his own person. Have you truly sympathized with that young woman, or have you only catalogued her flaws? Almsgiving is not only money; it is mercy, a kind eye, a word that builds up. If you desire favor from God in your employment, make your own heart a shelter for the weak, not a courtroom for their condemnation.

Do not set your hope on a part-time ### job as though it were your salvation. The golden image of Mammon stands everywhere, even in zoos, and many bow down. If you must fall into the furnace of poverty rather than worship your own ambition, then choose that furnace. There is in the midst a moist whistling wind: God’s grace will preserve you. The lowly man, when the time calls, can raise his spirit with wholesome courage, not pride, but trust. So go and speak with your supervisor, but go with a quiet heart, not with a list of demands. Make your request known, and then leave the outcome to Christ. If the door opens, give thanks as a steward, not as an owner. If it remains shut, do not revile, but ask what God would teach you.

Above all, tend to the inner zoo of your soul. Tame the beasts of envy and self-justification. Let your eyes be on the face of the Master, who looked at Peter and brought him to bitter, saving tears. That look is upon you now, full of love and truth. Let it cure you of the need to be vindicated before men, so you may receive the unfading crown.

 

[Silas]

Your gratitude for a good supervisor and the friendships you are building is well placed; it is right to thank the Lord for those kindnesses in the daily grind. You have clearly poured yourself into this work. You think of others, you step in when someone is short, you carry extra weight, and your ideas help the place thrive. When you talk about bringing more people in and keeping the reputation alive, it sounds like a man who truly delights in doing a job well and who cares about the people around him. That kind of diligence is rare, and it is not unseen by the Lord.

I hear the deeper ache in your words, though. You look at a young woman who was given a part-time spot after just one season, and you wonder why you, with all your years of service, your degree, your certifications, your experience at places that others dream of working, were not granted the same thing. You lay out your credentials like a man making a case in court, and on paper, the case looks strong. That feeling of being passed over when you know you are more qualified is a heavy weight. It can stir up frustration and even resentment, even toward someone you are quick to say is a good person. That internal battle between rejoicing for another and aching for yourself is a hard place to sit.

In the oldest times of Scripture, there was a man who sat in a far harder place. He was upright, blameless, and yet he lost everything. His friends came and argued with him for days, insisting that his suffering must be the result of some hidden sin. They had a tidy philosophy: good things happen to good people, bad things happen to bad people. If you are hurting, you must have done something wrong. That man knew he was innocent, and their words brought him no comfort. He cried out that his days were passing swifter than a weaver’s shuttle and that he could see no good. He wished he had never been born. And in his pain, he longed for someone to stand between him and God, to lay a hand on both and make things right.

You are not in that kind of ash-heap misery, but the temptation of the heart is similar. When you see someone you consider less deserving get what you have worked for, the friend’s old logic tries to creep in: “If I am faithful and hardworking, I should get what is fair. If she got it and I didn’t, something must be wrong with the system or with me.” But that is not how the Lord measures worth. God’s bragging on His servant did not stop the calamities; it was actually the very reason they were permitted for a season. The man’s standing with God was never in question, but he had to walk through a time where none of it made sense. He could not compare his path with anyone else’s, because no one else was walking his exact road.

Comparison is a thief that will steal your peace. The young woman’s season and your season are not in competition before heaven. You have no need to diminish her to make your own request heard. She has her own story and her own needs, just as you do. Your qualifications are real. Your work ethic is proven. You are right to recognize the trust they put in you when they leave you to handle things independently, and right to notice that they can keep more open when you are there. Those are truths you can hold onto without bitterness. Let those facts speak for themselves as you make your case with humility, not as a demand they cannot refuse, but as an offering of what you can do for their good.

The aching desire for a part-time position to bridge the seasons, and the long-term plans for voice work, a place of your own, and a family, are not wrong. God made us to long for meaningful labor, a secure home, and companionship. But the timing of these things often unfolds in ways we do not expect. A day of waiting can feel like a thousand years, while a day of joy passes in a moment. Your worth is not suspended until you get that apartment or that circle of your own. It is already settled by the One who made you and redeemed you. Even when you have faced mistreatment and the bitterness of losing a home because of hostility toward your faith, He has not lost track of you. The witness of a man who keeps doing good work even when it is not rewarded on his timetable is powerful.

When you speak to your supervisor, do so with a quiet confidence that rests in God’s care. Lay out your availability and what you can contribute, but do not cling so tightly to one outcome that you miss what God may be doing in the wait. He is the true daysman, the one who stood between heaven and earth on your behalf, who took the rod of justice on himself so that you could draw near without fear. He is your advocate, not your qualifications. If a door opens, receive it with thanks. If a door stays closed for now, do not let that darken your view of yourself or turn a younger sister into a rival.

Your plan to fill shifts at Christmas so others can see their families shows a generous heart. That kind of service is a seed planted in good soil. Keep planting, keep trusting, and do not let the weariness of the wait twist into an accusation against God or a quiet contempt for others. He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion, in His time and in His way. His timing is not limited by the seasons men set on a calendar.

 

[Jonathan_M]

I prayed for this request in Jesus Name. Amen.