Looking for guidance.

Hello everyone. I am new to this website as of a few days ago. I have slowly been lurking around and looking at other peoples stories which have been very interesting. Anyways, without further ado,

I am a 19 year old college student. I was born and raised Catholic and attended Catholic schooling for a good amount of my life, including all of high school. I then went to a private college and during this time my family lost pretty much all of their money and (I had to actually live with my Aunt and Uncle in a different town that winter) I had to leave that college after my first semester. We ended up moving to a different town and renting a house with hopes that we would start making money again. I went to a public university and can only afford it through loans. Meanwhile, my two brothers (I am the youngest of 4), have done nothing but steal and cheat from my family. One of which, is addicted to drugs as well as bipolar and has been stealing from us for years. This has caused nothing but problems with our family including marital relations between my mom and dad and other problems with my extended family.

I have prayed till I'm blue in the face and yet nothing has significantly changed for the better. With all of this going on, I can't help but question my faith. I pray that God will work in me, and help me to become a better believer but things just seem to get harder for me. I have come here for refuge and guidance and anything will be very appreciated.
 
Wow - seems that you haven't had the easiest life. Just know that there will be a light at the end of the tunnel. It may continue for 1 year, 5 years, or even 10 years. But just remember that God is faithful. And even though you are unsure of what's happening, and even though you may feel that God's ignoring your prayers, just know that He will get you through this somehow.

Eventually, the prayers that you have praying will be answered.

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http://christianforumsite.com/threads/forum-rules.29546/

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http://christianforumsite.com/threa...new-members-on-the-christian-forum-site.4558/
 
Welcome, Ryan. I hope that we can be of some help to you. A lot of thoughts are going through my mind as I read your post and I'm not sure where best to begin. First, I suppose, it would be well to reassure you that your circumstances are not all that unusual. Unpleasant, yes, but not that unusual. Financial difficulties, relational difficulties, doubts, exasperation are all pretty much common to the human experience. This probably isn't what you hope to hear, but God is less interested in making life easy than He is in building fortitude in His people. We know that in the athletic realm, success is dependent on suffering. Muscle is built by first tearing it down, which involves pain. If one is not willing to sweat, elevate the heart rate, breath heavily, and push through aches and pains, they will never be competitive. We take this for granted in the realm of sports and athletics.

What God is trying to build in you is something greater than what the world sees as success, what it sees as desirable. What He is trying to build in you is eternal. All the circumstances you experience here on Earth will pass away in a few decades. Money, houses, families, jobs, possessions, power, influence, pleasures, pains, all will pass away. Whether your experience in each area is good or bad, they will pass away. Your faith in God, your trust in Him, your relationship with Him are forever. You cannot cling to your Earthly circumstances and base your faith on them, because they will fail; again, regardless of whether good or bad. God is eternal. If you cling to Him, you will be anchored in the eternal. You may be battered and tossed about by the winds and waves of life, but the Rock of your salvation to Whom you cling will never move, will never be torn from its moorings. In a few decades all of the winds and waves will be stilled, and there in the midst of the calm sea will by you and Jesus, arm in arm.

Having said all that, let me just say that we don't know all the things going on in the Heavenlies. I do not for one instant believe that your prayers are unheeded of ineffectual. Trouble is, we have our ideas of how things ought to work out, and God, Who sees from an eternal perspective -the other side of the veil, if you will- is busily engaged in working things out as He sees best.

I have not attempted to answer all the doubts and questions you may have, and your feelings regarding all these things are legitimate. I just wanted to start by reassuring you that God is in control and takin' care of business. He is intimately familiar with and intimately involved the the events and relationships in your life. Life can be a scary roller coaster ride, but if you stay strapped in to Jesus, you will be secure. He is worthy of our faith and trust.
 
That is a very good way of looking at it actually. I apologize if I sounded like a brat about the money issue, possessions aren't all that important to me. I value my relationships with others much more. I am also very aware that suffering makes you a better person and can help your relationship with God if you allow it to. I have a tendency (like most people) to get a little depressed with my current state and dwell on it so encouragement definitely helps. Thank you.
 
That is a very good way of looking at it actually. I apologize if I sounded like a brat about the money issue, possessions aren't all that important to me. I value my relationships with others much more. I am also very aware that suffering makes you a better person and can help your relationship with God if you allow it to. I have a tendency (like most people) to get a little depressed with my current state and dwell on it so encouragement definitely helps. Thank you.
Don't be too hard on yourself. We all get like that. And you didn't sound like a brat. My heart actually went out to you.
Please know that we are not judging you. I think you have an excellent attitude! And yes, God definitely puts us through tests to make us a stronger person!
 
That is a very good way of looking at it actually. I apologize if I sounded like a brat about the money issue, possessions aren't all that important to me. I value my relationships with others much more. I am also very aware that suffering makes you a better person and can help your relationship with God if you allow it to. I have a tendency (like most people) to get a little depressed with my current state and dwell on it so encouragement definitely helps. Thank you.

No, you didn't sound like a brat. Life is difficult, no getting around it. This is why I try to be careful not to pooh-pooh or dismiss what people are going through at any given time. As to money, I can pinch a penny so hard Lincoln bleeds out his ears. :D I doubt God is through teaching me about money and trust and generosity and stuff. I've been poor before and I didn't like it. I'm doing okay now, but never really feel like I have "enough." And I know, as recent economic events have shown, there is no guarantee of tomorrow. I may well be poor again.

As to depression, yeah, seen some of that. Probably will struggle with that throughout the rest of my life. That's not defeatism, just reality; I am not afraid. Well, not afraid of depression. Other things scare me, but God is working with me on those things. God is teaching me day by day to trust in Him and not in myself or the things of the world, and that is the confidence I try to share with others who struggle with life and faith.
 
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