Inside a Federal Worker's Life During the 2025 Government Shutdown

A whiplash weekend turns a federal layoff into a lesson on faith, discernment, and identity. We unpack Rapture TikTok, the shutdown’s human cost, and how gratitude and planning can coexist when life flips overnight.

• growth as a solo host and desire for a co‑host
• creator workload, audience milestones, and platform strategy
• Rapture TikTok, date‑setting, and false prophets
• practicing discernment and staying grounded in scripture
• shutdown mechanics, pay uncertainty, and employee impact
• Friday separation by email and Saturday reinstatement
• choosing prayer and gratitude before action
• work ethic, health battles, and reframing identity beyond job
• planning next steps while trusting God’s timing
• empathy for colleagues with families under financial stress

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Transcript

Opening And Housekeeping

SPEAKER_00 0:00

But on Friday, I was let go from my job. And I was separated from the federal government Friday night, right? So, and you won't believe what happened next. What is going on, my family? Welcome back to another episode of the Carlos Granados Podcast. This is episode 47. And as you can see by the title of the podcast, and also if you've seen the thumbnail on YouTube, you know we're about to get a little bit mixed with our conversation. But before we get there, let's take care of some introduction things, right? So if you don't want to watch the introduction or hear till the introduction, you can skip right to the main conversation and the main topics. There's timestamps. If we if we're listening to uh any audio platforms, there's times timestamps there. If you're listening to a YouTube, there's time timestamps there as well. So with some intro things, you know what I was thinking about earlier? I would love to have a co-host because I've had a podcast before that I thought was going to be the podcast. You know, I thought it was going to be a really, really good podcast, but unfortunately things didn't work out with the other person. And I just remember how smoothly conversations used to flow. Um, the flow of the conversation when it comes to having a podcast or a YouTube channel, it's just somewhat so much better when you have a co-host, when you have a partner uh working with you, right? Uh, I would have preferred to have like a female so you can get both sides of the spectrum and like hear two different perspectives. Um, and someone that would be maybe um open book like myself, right? Uh just open to a lot of different things, a lot of different topics, um, have a lot of vulnerability so they can share. And and I feel like it just makes for a better podcast, if that makes sense. I was thinking about that. I'm like, man, that would have been um that would have been cool. Um, another thing, another thought before I started recording, the good vibe sign that's behind me, I still haven't updated that. That my brother broke it several months ago, and I still haven't gotten a new one. It's a little pricey. I should have gotten one already because I feel like there is something missing in the background, like if it's not you know lit up, and it was really cool. Good vibes only, which I like to say that might be like my motto or something like that. I think so, you know, just good vibes, right? Positive energy, but I need to get one. So, shout out to my brother for breaking that several months ago, and I still haven't got a new one, which I need to though. And the last thing for the introduction, of course. Thank you guys for showing a lot of love to my uh my podcast. I think we are definitely growing. We had a thousand of uh listeners actually through Buzz Sprouts, right? Which is the platform that I use so I can put out all the audios, um, you know, that that sends it to Spotify, um, Amazon Music, and Apple Podcasts, and things of that nature. So we reached a thousand listeners, and I was like, wow, that's that's pretty incredible, man. You know, a thousand people just listening to you, right? That's not counting the views from YouTube, because the views from YouTube through uh the actual YouTube channel, um, the actual posts and the videos, you know, they're in, you know, probably like the the thousands, but the shorts themselves from like the podcast that I've had and people that I've hosted, I mean, we're probably in the hundreds of thousands of views just from those. And then not counting TikTok. And now I started doing a little bit more of Instagram uh just to put myself out there a little bit more. Now, again, this is where like having somebody else will come in because we'll be handy because we could take care of like the podcast and growing it in different ways, you know. But myself and doing it alone, it's uh as a one-man army, I'm literally myself doing all the podcast situations. So um there's times where you know, content creation is is really tough. Um and it takes a lot of time, very time consuming. Uh, I don't think content creation is for everybody. People think that they can start making content until they actually see how much time it takes. Um the audience that you have to capture every time you come on a podcast, you know. Uh, luckily for me, um, I have a a job that plays very well, so that is my main source of income. And it's it doesn't have to be content creation, but I can see how it could be a lot of pressure uh for people that only depend on content creation. But if they're doing very well, then they're passionate about it, then I mean they're doing really well uh from the numbers that I've heard in the past. And talking about jobs and talking about job security, all right. I think it's um wait, almost before we get there, I don't wanna okay, I don't want to edge you guys, but I will say uh there's another thing that has come my attention recently that I had no idea about. Have you guys heard that the bird is a word? Okay, okay, all right, that was a joke. That one, that one was a joke, but have you guys actually heard of um what's been going on on TikTok with the rapture? Right? If you guys aren't familiar with the whole situation that's been going on, if you guys aren't situ you know, aren't familiar with the rapture and what that is, essentially, um, if you believe uh in the Lord, if you're Christian, you you know there are sources according to people. What it is essentially is that you know, God will come, he will take the people that believed in him, his faithful, take them up to heaven, and then he will leave the rest on earth, right? And then they will be persecuted um by everybody. Um, and essentially you have a check second chance, but you will be persecuted. Long story short, that's what it is. I would recommend you guys to do your research on that because there are some Christians that believe that's not even a thing. I gotta do my own research on that, if I'm being honest, to see um what is true and what isn't, but I know what is true uh when it comes to the rapture, right? So let me tell you uh what's been going on on TikTok. So I've been hearing a lot, and around October, I heard that the rapture was happening, and like there is this prophet in Africa that predicted or was predicting, or he said he saw Jesus, and he had a billion percent whatever certainty that the rapture was happening. He heard from Jesus, he said that he saw him, that the rapture was happening somewhere at the end of October. And had a friend reach out to me, he was like, Hey, like, you know, do you know if you know what's been happening? I'm like, the rapture, this and that. I'm like, what? Really? I was like, yeah, you know, this, you know, that's what the talk, blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, all right, let you know, and TikTok just started, you know, filling up my page with Rapture TikTok. That's what it's called, rapture tick tock. And there have been people that have been or had been, because the dates already passed, right? We're already past October, but this is get this gets really interesting. So they the dates um were at the end of October, like 23rd to like the 26th of October or something like that. And those people that really believe in it, they were selling their cars, they were selling their houses. I heard, they were quitting their jobs, and because they believed they were no longer going to be here on earth, that you know, God was coming, taking them up to heaven, right? Have some problems with that, but let me let me continue. So then afterwards, uh, when it didn't happen, right? Because we're all still here, or a lot of Christians, if not all of them are still here, they said that the dates were wrong because they were using the Julian calendar or something along those natures. So when they changed the calendar back in the day, essentially the date of October 23rd to the through the 26th would have been now October like 6th through the 8th or something like that. I don't I don't know, but they changed the date to October. So now they were like, no, no, no, this time is for real. This time the rapture is happening, and they came back, and they were in October 6th and 7 and 8 came and went, and they were billion percent sure that this was the date, you know. By the way, if you guys don't know that people that hear from God are supposed to be considered prophets, but in the Bible, it also speaks about how there will be false prophets, you know, and this these false prop prophets will lead people to condemnation because they aren't really truly hearing from the Lord, right? And in the Bible, it does speak about and it says no human knows when God will come back, when Jesus will come back. If I'm not mistaken, but do your research on that. I apologize if I mess this up, but I don't believe the angels even know when he's coming back, but I think I've heard of that. But do your research, do your due diligence, right? So if that is the truth, right, then what make what makes these people think that a human actually knows when Jesus is coming back, right? And I and I started having so many questions, right? So now these people that were listening to to Pastor Joshua, I think his name is, and he's African, you know, he uh this whole situation started over there, right? This whole prediction, I will call it, right? Because that's essentially all was happening. They still don't want to take accountability for it, and people still want to be deceived, um with with those words, you know. Why I had questions, right? Let me get into the my train of thought when I heard that. First of all, why do you want to be raptured so bad? Like I get the fact that you want to go to heaven. We all do. If you believe in uh in God, and if you believe there is a God, you believe that you, you know, you want you want to go to heaven because essentially here, man, it's rough, man. It's tough. And it's it's a lot of things that we weren't meant to experience as human beings, right? Till Adam and Eve and the apple, you've guys heard the the the story. So I'm like, if God created you for he created you in his image, right? And then he created you for a purpose, and you come back and say, God, just listen, I'm I'm not even trying to fulfill your purpose, just take me home. I'm like, what what would you think? What would God feel in regards to that, right? I gave you life, I gave you a purpose, I gave you an opportunity to live and and created you in my image, and you being ungrateful. This is the way I'm I'm thinking about it. You kind of being ungrateful and not essentially accepting what the Lord has given you, so then when your time comes and you have fulfilled your purpose, then he'll take you back home. But you just want to go, you know, you just want you just want to go. So my turn of thought went there, and then second of all, um I I don't get the the whole concept um of the people that were selling their cars, selling their homes, their stuff, uh, quitting their job. There was people that were actually planning and setting up so when they left, right, when the Lord took them, the people who they believe would have stayed could just know, you know, how to function around, for example, uh their houses or kind of like a list of like, hey, this is where everything is at. Does that make sense? Kind of preparing them for like, hey, I'm out, I'm gone. This is where everything and everything about my life is, so you guys don't have to wonder, you know. First of all, why are you selling things? You can't take the money with you. You can't take that money with you, you can't take the physical things, which because if the low is coming, you don't need all of that up there, right? That's here on earth. Why are you selling it? Why don't you just give it away? Why don't you give your house away? You know? Um, why are you telling your boss that you're quitting your job? Why don't if you're being a rapture, who cares? You everybody here is so replaceable. You think they'll be like, they'll probably be like, dang, he probably quit. He or she probably quit. Well, let's find a replacement, you know what I mean? And it just didn't make sense to me, you know, the the whole situation, and that's how you can just start feeling, bro. This is a lot of deceitfulness going on, right? Why don't why as a president of the Lord and of God, why couldn't you just give your stuff away? Right? If you truly believe that, why do you have to sell it? What are you gonna do with that money? You know, just give your stuff away. Where are you taking that? And that's why it's really, really scary out there. You have to really have some type of desert discernment. Um, you have to really know the word and what the word says and surround people, surround yourself with people that know the word even better than you sometimes, because the truth, you have to know what the truth is. So then when people like this come along, they don't shaken you up, you know? They don't shaking your foundation up from what you actually believe and what you believe to be true, right? Um, I was joking to my friend, I was like, what if the raptor did come and we just all did we're not good enough and we're still here, you know? I was just you know laughing about that because I'm like, come on, man. It's like, what are we doing? And people continue and they their pride takes over and they don't want to admit that they're wrong. So not only are they deceiving you, but also there's these people are prideful enough because they don't want to admit they're wrong. And obviously, the more they continue to talk about this, the more clout they get, right? The more views they get. And that pride and and wanting to lie to people, that is scary, man. That is what the enemy does, you know. That is what the devil does to you. He lies to you, he's deceitful. Um, and whatever he can do to separate you from the Lord, he will. Um trust me, I know it's it's it's a battle. Spiritual warfare is is is very real. Um sometimes people don't even know the battles that they're fighting, and they don't know how to elaborate it because they haven't maybe gotten to a point where they acknowledge that the fact that it could be, you know, a warfare or spiritual warfare. And and that is another level, and that's another conversation for another day. But there's people like that to this day, man. There will be false prophets, man. There will be people who are deceitful. So you got to be careful. Um, read the read the word, read the Bible, and know what the truth is, and surround yourself with people who practice, who read the truth, and make sure that that you know you're grounded, right? And make sure that your foundation's not shaking up by these people that are that are you know lying um uh about this situation. Um, so yeah, I thought that was uh an interesting thing that has been going on. I wanted to share it with you guys. Um if you didn't listen to it and you've never heard of it, good for you. Good for you. Uh and and but you can just go to on TikTok, Rapture TikTok, and it's crazy in there, man. Um, it's a lot of stuff, and um, that's not something I feel like that should be played with. You know, I think there's a lot of respect that you gotta have to to the Almighty and and his being. So, all right. So now talking about the craziness that has been going on lately. Now we're gonna talk about all the craziness that has been going on in my life. Um, as you guys heard, um, there's a government shutdown that happened. Um, I want to add a disclaimer here that this video is for educational purposes only. Um just want to educate people from the lenses of my experience, from what I've been through. I'm not here to share any private information, uh, anything, you know, that's gonna harm anybody else, um, or anything else. Um is just I think it's time for me to share my thoughts because a lot of people, my friends, you guys check up on me. Um you guys know that I work for the federal, for the federal government. And you know, every time something happens in the news, um, you know, I get impacted by it. I just don't talk about it, but I get impacted by it. But I think I don't I'm at a point where I'm just comfortable sharing my my what's been going on lately um from what's already been out there, right? I'm gonna share and speak on the fact that there's a lot of things that have been out there happening already and that you guys know of, right? So the federal government shutdown happened um by the end of the fiscal year. Um, the end of the federal government fiscal year is in September, the end of September, right? That's the fourth quarter for us. The fourth quarter is not in December, it's in September, right? So technically, right now, we should be in the in quarter one um of our fiscal year. And this is my first gut shutdown ever that I've been through. Um, so I'm kind of learning how to navigate through the process as a federal government employee. Um a lot of the times when a government was a shutdown was about to happen, um maybe the day of or the the week of the CR was always extended, I believe. Uh, and and and um the the spending plan, I guess the budget, you know, they came into an agreement and then we were never shut down, but this time around, we were actually um shut down for real for real. So what does that mean, right? It means that for the moment I'm not able to work. Um I've been home since the shutdown. Um oh, we don't get paid during during the shutdown. Now typically what's supposed to happen is we will get paid a lump sum after we come back, depending on how long it takes, right? But I've been hearing things on the news that says we don't want to pay you guys, you guys are not even working, you know. But it's not our fault that we're not working, it's you know, that's not nothing to do with us. If we if it was up to us, we would be working, we'll be getting paid. But typically in government shutdowns, the money is always paid to the federal government employees. So, but there's talks in regards to that, and I'm just like, dang, bro, like the the the political climate has been crazy um uh lately, and it's not a sensitive topic. And let me tell you guys why I am deciding to just um just share my thoughts in this situation uh at the moment. Uh coming from a federal government employee, um you won't believe what happened this weekend. Um, did you you guys remember the the rifts that happened, right? The reduction in force earlier this year with all the mandates that happened. Well, it affected a lot of federal government employees, like hundreds of thousands of them, if I'm not mistaken. And you know, a lot of people that you you know, people were forced to retire. Um, people were um were forced to make different decisions. Um, essentially they were let go. Separated is the correct word to use here. They were separated from the federal government and they had to go find jobs somewhere else, which some people did. Well, that first couple runs of mandates did not affect me. But on Friday, I was let go from my job, and I was separated from the federal government Friday night, right? So, and you won't believe what happened next. So when the notice came, I was like, dang, bro. Like I looked at my phone and I was like, yo, this is this is for real. Like I'm get being let go of my job. But let me tell you the first thing that I did. I looked at my phone for like 30 seconds, like, and I was just like, wow, like it happened to me, you know. You know, I'm not saying I was expecting it, but it happened to me. And I said, took a deep breath, I went to lay down in my bed, and I was essentially sitting, not laying down, and I prayed. And let me tell you the reason that I prayed. Um when the Bible teaches you, and the word teaches you that you should take God and the Lord into every decision you will make, into every step that you will make, into every thought that's going through your head. You should have Him with you. So the first thing I did was I prayed and I said, Lord, I am thankful. I am grateful for what just happened. Now the human nature is not the first thing that comes. Um I'm I should say I'm sorry. Human nature is the first thing that comes to your head, right? The emotions, the feelings, uh, the whole spectrum of emotions. But the first thing I decided to do is to be grateful. I said, thank you, Lord, for the opportunity. Thank you, Father, for allowing me to have, you know, this amazing job. The fact that I've built so much experience in the last five and a half years from working, you know, for the federal government and serving the public because essentially that's what we are. We're servants to the public. Um, a lot of people don't know that. And I thanked them. I said, thank you, Lord, because when I got the job, I also made a prayer and I was guided to make another prayer before I got this job. They said, Carlos, and I was in the midst of trying to, you know, work for the federal government. I just had graduated from you know, um, from graduate school, and I was looking for my first big boy job in the process of applying and entering the federal government. They said, Carlos, if this if this job is for you, play to the Lord. Pray to him that if this job is meant for you, you will receive this job. This job is for you. And not only that, because I was going through a lot of health issues and a lot of health struggles, I was concerned if I was gonna be able to perform to the level that I know how to, right? Because one of my biggest strengths is my work ethic, right? I believe that I can outwork anybody, anytime, any day, and it's just who I am, right? I am going to let you know that I'm my work ethic is probably uh what I do best, right? There are I have a lot of weaknesses, but that's not one of them. And I truly believe because of my work ethic ethic, I've gotten really far um within the federal government uh in my job, right? Um, so, anyways, so I pray to the Lord. I said, Lord, if if you if if this job is for me and this job is given to me, I also pray that you allow me and give me the ability to perform well in this job. I do not want to let people down. Um, I don't want to let my bosses down, my team leads down, my my co-workers down. I want, even though I have a lot of health issues going on, I want to be able to perform at my job. I don't want to miss days because of my sickness and my illnesses. I don't want to be a letdown. I don't just want to be average because God created you created me for greatness. And I want to be able to be make my family proud, my friends proud, myself proud because I've worked so hard up to this point, you know? And I that's another story in another podcast of how I even got to that point in my life. But I'm like, I want to make sure that I I I you you give me um the resources that I need to succeed at this job. Lord and behold, I get the job around my birthday, my 27th birthday. And ever since then, I felt like I um I was striving, you know, at my job. And I was the person that I felt like, you know, I at points my my team leads can come and say, hey, listen, we need you to perform certain tasks. You know, can you do them? I'm like, yeah, you know, I'm like, let's do it. Like I that is where I shine the most. That is my strength. I can admit that I'm a slow learner. I can admit that I don't grasp things very well. It takes me a lot of time to grasp things. Um, it's just, you know, I'm just not book smart. I I can admit that. I have no problem with that. But there's other qualities about me that make up for that, and and if not, top that even more. So I made that prayer when I got the job. So when I also got let go on Friday night, um, by the way, it was just an email. It was just, and and this again, all of that I'm telling you right now is public information. The news sources know more than we do sometimes. Believe it or not, I don't know how. Don't ask me how. But when it comes to shutdowns and anything, federal government, uh, the rifts and all that stuff. The federal government, uh, I mean, news outlets, news reporters, they literally have that information before we even get to that point. We hear from the news. Sometimes we don't even hear from our leadership. I don't know how, right? I'm gonna leave it at that. I don't even know how. Anyways, so um I prayed and I told him, I said, thank you, because I'm in a mindset now where if this job is taken away from me, it's not because um it's not it's because you don't want me there anymore. It's because you have something better for me. And better doesn't always mean more, doesn't mean always always mean more money. Better might be this is a place where you want to grow. They're like where I'm gonna I'm gonna have you grow. This is a place where I am going to uh help you in your faith, right? It's it this is where you're gonna gain um different resources where you're gonna um fulfill your your uh your purpose in life that I have for you. That's the way I looked at it. I'm like, I said thank you. I said, thank you, Lord, um, because when I prayed back in the day, you know, six years ago, when I prayed, hey, um you gave me this job and you can take this job away from me. And if this is, you know, you telling me you don't you're you know you shouldn't you should no longer be here, then I am grateful because I trust you and I put my future plans in your hands, right? That was my prayer, you know, and it felt just like this. All right, but now it's my turn to do what I know how to do best, and that is lock in. Right? I already, I already, I already locked in with the being that has the key to my future plans. Now I gotta lock in um mentally. I'm already locked in spiritually, I'm locked in mentally. Let's let's let's start planning. What moves do we make next? You know, and one of the prayers that I pray. Um that I actually have up here. You guys can't see it right now, but um it's or maybe you might be able to see, I don't know, but it's on my right hand side. I think it's on my right hand side. Yeah. Um, Jeremiah 29, 11, if I'm not mistaken. Um now I can't even think about Jeremiah 2011, but uh um oh, for I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope in a future. And I spoke that. That was what that was part of my prayer. I spoke that Jeremiah 29, 11, because I had to remind myself, God has a plan for you. And the plans he has for you, they're not to harm you, they're to prosper you. And they're gonna give me hope and they're gonna give me my future. Simple as that. So I after that prayer, uh, I said, all right, let's I gotta start looking at, you know, start applying for jobs. My resume is always updated, I always have my stuff updated. Um, there hasn't been like a huge period of time where I haven't used my resume. Sometimes the most I haven't used my resume in is probably like six months or so. I always updated, I always look for out for opportunities. That's just who I always been. So, you know, that happened. Um, and it made me realize something, guys. And I think it's part of one of the reasons why I'm making a video like this to let you guys in and just into my world. Um, you know, as good of a job that I have, I also acknowledge that it can be taken of from you really quickly. And when I mean quickly, it's just they don't care. You know, you're you're replaceable as anybody can be. And you know, the fact that they let you go in an email, I'm like, I mean, damn, you know, you've given so much of your life for this job, but when it's time, you know, to for things to happen, you can be let go so quickly, and essentially, that is your life. And I've seen that over the past years of how different people have been affected different ways. Now I am blessed because I am single, I don't have a family. I still live with my parents, I'll brand, you know, the the basement here. Um, the most expensive things that I have is probably my car, and I can downgrade in car if I have to. I don't have pride in that either. I can just, you know, I gotta do what I gotta do and I will do what I have to do. But I can imagine the people that had families and stuff, you know. I'm like, dang, bro, they gave so much to their job. And and you know, it made me rethink things in life. Um, that at the end of the day, that you know, all the me imagine that time that they spent away from their family or maybe working a little extra, and now this is how essentially people get repaid. That's tough. That's a tough pill to swallow. And you know what? It's the reality of it. Now it's not said, but it's the reality of it, right? Um, and I thought about that and I said, you know what? I gotta take that into consideration too. So it's not like I was prepared for myself for this to happen, but I mean, it is what it is. But this is not even the best part of the story. Let me continue. So the next day, uh, I'm taking it slow, I'm chilling. Um, to be honest, I'm not overthinking this. Uh at this point, I'm like, all right, you know, I'm gonna get my forbearance. Um, I'm gonna get the hours, the annual leaves, you know, that I have. I have a lot of hours which would turn into you know money because I never use them, and I will get a lump sum on that. Um, and then you know, I still have my TSP, which is my 401k. I'm gonna be good. Like for the next several months, I should be good, right? I can use that money to pay off whatever I need to pay off, and then I can just be ready to hit the road again, right? So I did the math, I was all right. I was I was that's what that's what that's what goes on in here. So, but you won't believe it happened that same day. So on Saturday, I get an email saying that I got my job back. So essentially, I now have my job back making this video today. Um, it's after the weekend, it's on a Monday. I'm either gonna release this later tonight or tomorrow. We'll see. But um essentially, I have my job till now. Now, I have a personal belief that this is not done, and I think we all know that. Now, people don't say that, and people are afraid to say it. There is no point of hiding things anymore, like emotions or feelings, or maybe it might sound taboo for to speak about what actually is happening. For what? The worst thing that can happen is for me to get let go again or get fired for speaking about it, but I'm not even speaking about things that we don't already know, right? They just maybe haven't happened, but you know, everything that I'm speaking to you right now, it's it's in the news, you know? The news knows more about this situation than we do as employees, if I'm being honest with you, and that's the truth. But now I'm just letting you know, I'm just like, you know, when my mindset was at, and where I was at with this whole situation, I was like, dang, bro, like this is crazy. So um the the future, I don't know what it holds. Uh, I just don't know the fact that they let me go one day and they brought me back the other day. I'm thinking that something happened there. I don't want to speak on it, just something happened there that's definitely not vibing very well. And, you know, um, I don't know what's gonna happen in the future, but I know I'm gonna be prepared for it. Um, like again, like I said, I was already, you know, in my head after it happened, you know, I wasn't too concerned. My head was already in a different mind space, you know. And you know what the the you know what the craziest thing about suffering from health issues you get to a point in life where your job when you lose your job, you don't even it doesn't phase you because if your job, if your health hasn't been well for a while, if you're suffering from something major, does it worry you if you lose your job? Yeah, do does does you know you start thinking like man now now where I'm gonna get money from this? I I get it, but at the end of the day, after all those thoughts have come and went, you're like, it's a minor thing in life, man. And I think that is a blessing that I have that other people don't because my image is not on my job, to be honest, guys. I have a really, really good job. I get paid over six figures. Um, I have great health insurance. I have a great retirement um account that you know, for lack of better words, I know I can retire a millionaire uh, you know, in 30 years if I just continue to do what I I continue to do, right? So that doesn't, I know that that doesn't, you know, I'm gonna be okay in that sense. But have a great job, bro. Have a really good life balance. The you know, losing a job like that could affect me a lot in my in my health and in my life, future plans, but even then, I'm like, man, it's a job, it's part of life. Um my health issues are giving me a strength that things like that, those major issues become minor. And I just remember you've gone through more to more, you know? The battles that you dealt with are bigger than what this is. My mindset is in a different place. You just feel you try to be more at peace, even through the chaos. And I started to notice something about myself that a lot of the times I get um hard on myself because I wonder, you know, do I do I walk, you know, like Christ, and do I walk like uh like I should? And I know I don't fully. But I know that I have a lot of qualities that I embodied that are Christ-like, right? My mentality during a struggle, uh, the grace, the um, the gratefulness, the joy that I have through the storm. In Romans, uh, I believe it talks about how you need to be um be able to suffer well, you know, be able to go through certain things because that will build your character. Your character builds faith, and your faith builds hope. And I felt like because of I'm con I've constantly gone through a lot that I get there so quickly, my mind doesn't go to crazy places that fast. And if it does, most of the time I know how to reel it back in. And that's a strength I have in life that I feel like without the issues that I've gone through in my life, the difficulties, maybe I would have been been there. And I'm like, man, like thank you, Lord. Like I embody a lot of the mentality, um, the Holy Spirit that I need to have in those moments. Uh, and I'm human, I'm always, you know, going to fail. But I'm like, I am glad that I am not where I once was, you know. You know that saying, you're not where you used to be. Um, you're not where you want to be, but you're also not where you used to be. And I think having that mentality is always important. So in this, in this situation myself, I'm like, dang, like that, that you know, that's something important that I need to have. Um, and it's just a learning-growing experience, you know. Um, I know that I'm gonna, first of all, I'm gonna make it happen because the Lord created me for greatness, but two, for I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. And I gotta trust that, you know, just how He made it work for me to end up with this job. And if I tell you my experience on how I got this job, you guys, the only so the only solution that you would have and thought that you will have would be God gave you that job. Like, you know, and that's what I'm telling you, right? But we're not gonna discuss that right now. But I'm like, if you gave me this job, you can also remove it from me. Um, there's another saying that I heard or um before um that some and I might botch this, but bear with me. I forgot what how the the saying goes, but it's more along the lines that um the reason sometimes God destroys your plans is because your plans could have destroyed you. I just got chills, I just got chills. Think about that. Sometimes God destroys your plans because the plans that you had for yourself could have destroyed you. And I'm not saying that my job would have destroyed me, but when God canceled things out and he says this is another route, or maybe let me test you. Who knows if this is a test? Think about that. Because the first thing I did, I said, Thank you, Lord. I'm grateful for what just happened because I lost my because I lost my job. I am grateful, I am thankful. And I'm not here to boast myself. I just letting you know the mentality that I was in. And I feel like for myself, I I I get I get proud. I'm like, oh man, if that is where my my mind went, that is where my spirit went, that's the first thing that I came out of my of my mouth. Uh the first thing, the first thoughts, I was like, you know what, Carlos, there there has been growth. Um, there has been growth. And going back to the point, um, you know, when God changes your plans, it could be for a reason. Or who you know if you're being you don't know if you're being tested, because think about that. All of a sudden, I get my job back. Now, will I keep it forever? That's an unanswered question. I don't know. But I know how to go about myself. Um, I know where I need to go when things like that happened, and I know where I'm going to go, right? I'm gonna go to the Lord and speak to him. And and then um we'll worry about tomorrow. I think uh the Bible speaks about how today you the worries of today are enough. You know, don't worry about tomorrow. Um, tomorrow is already taken care of, right? Tomorrow already has the worries of its own. So just worry about today. And that is a mentality that happened. Now, again, um, it's been crazy being a federal government employee is really is what hurts me the most is seeing other people um that are hurting. You know, I don't even think about myself like that so much. Because again, one, my job doesn't define me. That that's not my image, you know, where I have a high-paying job or a really good paying job, um uh, or or a job where like you can think of it as more on the sophisticated side of things. You take that away from me, bro, and I'm still the same person. You know, it doesn't define me, it doesn't make me, and it doesn't break me. And this is why I'm speaking about it today. Again, more for educational purposes, so you can understand um where I'm coming from as a federal government employee. And also these things already, again, I'll mention it again, things that are already on the news that you can find out. But you know, it's a job, job is a job, and and money is important, um, but also concentrating on the provider is important, concentrating on the person that has given you this opportunity is important, right? And if there's, you know, sometimes the Lord closes the Lord closes doors, and then he may open a bigger one. You don't know. Regardless, though, my focus is on him, and that's it. And that's why I don't I don't worry about on top of that, right? I don't have a family to provide for, so that's the reason I uh and all these crazy responsibilities, a mortgage. That's the reason I I hurt for other people. Um, it hurts me and I it hurts me to hear their pain because I can only imagine, you know, and I can only um think uh about what they must be going through. And that hurts me to to see close um co-workers, um, people that I've worked with, uh colleagues and stuff. Um, but I I gotta, you know, keep there in their prayers and stuff in these moments. It's not easy to be in this um in this situation. It does get to you, it really does. But um you have to to take it a day at a time, a step at a time, because sometimes that's all you can do, you know. I would keep you guys posted if you guys want to know more on what happens with you know my job. Hey man, but it's all good, you know. Who knows? Maybe if I'm jobless, I can become a better content creator. Maybe this could be my social income one day. It might take a minute. But it's all right, it's all good, you know. It it'd be like that sometimes. So if you have uh, first of all, if you guys are listening to this and you're a federal government employee, um, let me know on the comment section um of uh of of YouTube or anywhere else. Um, you know, I'm I'm you're not the only one going through this. It's a lot of people going through this, hundreds of thousands of people going through this. And all I would say is um the enemy cannot take away from you what God provided. And this is why I'm speaking about it today, because I am not afraid of that, right? For the Lord did not give me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. Second Tim Second Timot Timothy, 2 Timothy chapter 1, verse 7. Can't be afraid of that. I'm not gonna be fearful of that. Um, and you know, we just remind yourself of that. Um uh also let me know on the comment section what you guys think. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe because we are growing, you know, as a as a as a YouTube family uh and on the audio platforms. Thank you guys for supporting, uh showing me love. Um, I really appreciate it. It means a lot for you guys to listen to me yap a lot. Hopefully, I can bring some type of wisdom, entertainment, yeah, yapper session. You, whatever you're hearing, whatever, if you're still listening up to this point, I appreciate you, man. Uh, thank you for the love. Um it's a blessing uh to be able to even have a small platform that people listen to me to me speak, you know. Again, a thousand listeners on just audio platforms. That I that's a blessing. That's crazy, bro. That's a thousand people or at least ears that have heard me speak, not counting you know, the hundreds of thousands that I had that I get on all the platforms. You know, I do this uh again, I don't do this for monetary purposes, um, even though people have recommended me that I should, because there's a lot of possibilities. Um, the time will come when it needs to come, and we'll get there when we get there. You know, we'll cross that bridge when we get there. So thank you guys for listening. If you're listening to all the audio platforms, remember you can subscribe, you know, leave a rating that will help me go a long way. If you're listening to YouTube, uh don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe to my channel. You can watch this video on 4K, you know, not a lot of editing, not a lot of uh camera movement, but dang, man, I'm bringing I'm bringing you some fire content. So don't forget to like uh the video because it helps the algorithm. And uh thank you guys for the love. As always, take care of yourself, take care of each other, um, keep God first, you know, uh concentrate on what's around you, the family, what actually matters, and um, you know, get those priorities straight. Uh, because once you have a firm foundation, um, and not the little things are not shaking you up, you'll be in a really good in a really good place. You know, I think we all strive to be um at that point, and we always gotta work in it, you know. Uh I do and I always do. I try to, and sometimes I fail, sometimes it's harder. It's right, it's all right. You know, we have a graceful God, a merciful God, and um, he knows the plans that he has for you. So peace and love, family. See you guys on the next episode of the Carlos Granados Podcast.