Don't get me wrong, in Church or a setting where brothers and sisters in Christ are clearly in Spirit and truth I am GREAT! I am happy, and I don't ever want to leave.

But outside of a setting like that I am just miserable most of the time. Oh I can enjoy myself sure, but in my spirit I am just so "down".

I have bosses that make the most foolish decisions you can imagine and clearly can't see what is so foolish about them. I have co-workers who gossip and back stab all of the time. I work with kids (who I love!) who just jump into sin and splash around in it with glee!

The Christians I am around at work (I work 24 hours a day for 7 days with 3 days off folowed by 24 hours a day for 7 days followed by 4 days off) just don't seem to focus on Christ. They believe the "worlds" system will heal the hurting kids we have here. Many attend movies that sicken me, listen to music that I HATE with a Godly passion, and have ZERO intrest in a staff bible study. Those who are or were intrested wanted it to be "charismatic".

I just feel frustrated and tired most of the time.

Any advice? I AM praying about it.

Thanks all

__________________
Adam Leavelle
Westminster OPC
Roaring Spring Pa.

http://www.myspace.com/aleavelle
"Speak wisdom to a fool and he'll think you have no sense at all"

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[quote:1395aedb2e][i:1395aedb2e]Originally posted by houseparent[/i:1395aedb2e]
Don't get me wrong, in Church or a setting where brothers and sisters in Christ are clearly in Spirit and truth I am GREAT! I am happy, and I don't ever want to leave.

But outside of a setting like that I am just miserable most of the time. Oh I can enjoy myself sure, but in my spirit I am just so "down".

The Christians I am around at work (I work 24 hours a day for 7 days with 3 days off folowed by 24 hours a day for 7 days followed by 4 days off) just don't seem to focus on Christ. They believe the "worlds" system will heal the hurting kids we have here. Many attend movies that sicken me, listen to music that I HATE with a Godly passion, and have ZERO intrest in a staff bible study. Those who are or were intrested wanted it to be "charismatic".

I just feel frustrated and tired most of the time.

Any advice? I AM praying about it.

Thanks all [/quote:1395aedb2e]

You mean to say that you get tired of the casual Christian? I understand 110% Diagnosing the problem is easy, what do do about it is hard. I am praying for you and going through the exact same thing. Circumstantial wisdom will play a big role in this. When to be confrontational and when to be...really, I dont know. One hates to be seen as judgmental but yet all the prophets were confrontational about the lacksadaisical people. Thank you for posting, for this will help me deal with the same problem around the same type of people

__________________
J. B. Atken
John Knox PCA
Layman, M.A. student at Louisiana College

Yeah, the casual Christian angers me! I ahve to fight my flesh often when it comes to responding to them.

But I am also TIRED of blatent sinners. I don't mean hurting people, I mean people who just wallow PROUDLY in sin and don't want to hear ANYTHING about God, Jesus, or the bible.

I sometimes want to move deep into the woods and not associate with anyone.

It's sad.

I feel a little bad though as if maybe my faith is lacking? I feel like Elijah when he hid in that cave and thought for certain the servants of Baal had won the day. I need to find a remenant and find it soon.

The big thing to get a hold of is learning to bypass our emotions and rest in the objective instruction of scripture. Our emotional responses are sinful and will be till the day we are present with the Lord. Your feelings of hatred and anger may be justified in some instances, but they should never be the basis for your conduct or your self-talk, because they are sourced in sin. Dwelling on them only leads to conflict, internal and external.

You should deal with all of your aquaintences and coworkers with a spirit of love even, indeed especially, when they **** you off. It ain't easy, but it is something we must strive towards just as surely as we try to tame our sinful thoughts and actions in any other area of our life. And you must pray for them....again no easy task.

And movies and music are basically are basically a matter of taste. The fact that you find a film offensive has no bearing on how it is impacting the people who view it. Tastes vary widely and are all sinful in and of themselves. Do not let this be a hinderance to your witness or friendship.

In short, try not to let your feelings rule the day.

Thanks,
Rob

__________________
Robert Brenner
husband, father and lover of Looney Tunes shorts
~Leaning towards OPC

Adam,

When you find the answer to your issue...LET ME KNOW!!!

I too have often thought about finding a mountainside somewhere to just get away from people. I have all that I can to just be civil sometimes (when I see the obvious deceit and contempt in which so many people operate -"Christian" or not).

I know that we should look at the good and overcome evil with good, etc. But, frankly, it feels like my faith has been subverted by my own wicked cynicism more often than I care to admit. I'm afraid that I am simply just not as mature in the faith as I would like to be.

Oh that I could learn to be content in whatsoever place I am in!

__________________
Christopher
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."
Ecclesiastes (12:13)
Church Affiliation: Faith Presbyterian OPC

[quote:6be64ec9b5]
Oh that I could learn to be content in whatsoever place I am in!
[/quote:6be64ec9b5]

That sums my feelings up nicely.

I understand how you feel. One thing that helps me with non-believers is to not to expect anything but sin out of them. Yes it disgusts me when they are selfish, immoral and unkind...but what can you expect out of an unregenerate person. Just continue to love and pray for them.

I Peter 4 says something really cool about this..."4:1Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, [1] arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. 3 The time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. 4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; 5 but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. "

Verse 3 says we've had enough time to sin, and verse 4 tells us that those that are involved in this "flood of debauchery" will malign you. You will be rejected because of your stand for righteousness. God will judge, and we must continue find our strength and joy in God alone.

__________________
David Kicklighter
East Lanier Community Church (PCA)
Buford, GA

I try not to expect too much from humanity.

I feel your pain though. My office is a living Dilbert comic day to day.

It is hard to do everything as unto the LORD when management is constantly undermining that.

Encourage the few professing Christians around you.
One thing that has helped here is a weekly lunch time Bible study/discussion group.
We are going through Exodus now.

__________________
Misery induces despair, pride induces presumption. The Incarnation shows man the
greatness of his misery by the greatness of the remedy which he required.
~ Pascal, Pensees 526

[quote:8f82f8ecad]One thing that has helped here is a weekly lunch time Bible study/discussion group.[/quote:8f82f8ecad]

I WISH I could find some willing to do that. Most here are charismatic and think we should focus on the work of the Spirit. If not they are Catholic and want to pray the rosery.

Every time a strong believer in the fundamental word of GOd comes along they quit in a few months!

Adam,
I know how you feel. I am (possibly) wanting to become a pastor some day, but I feel (as of now) very unfit for the duty because it seems as though my "love of mankind" has dwindled down to virtually zero. I'm not having trouble loving those that I know, but all those "unknown" that I encounter in my day-to-day life. For example, just today I was visiting Baltimore, MD. As I drove around (I guess it was the projects), everybody was milling around outside their houses and as I'd pass they'd glare at me with hatred. I'm sure, if my car broke down, they'd want to tear me to pieces like wild animals! How can I possibly LOVE them!
Or, if I'm driving, it just seems like most people are SO rude, that I can barely cope with putting up with their rudeness! I have no idea how I can even THINK about becoming a pastor with my heart being as cold as it is towards the masses of unknown people that I encounter day to day. I realize that I am no better than ANY of them, and it is only by God's grace that I am anything at all. But that doesn't help me have warmer feelings, much less ZEAL about working towards witnessing to them.

And speaking of becoming cynical: it seems as though I could barely be more cynical towards my view of people, and life in general. I've been hearing on the news that Pres. Reagan was an optimist, well I feel like I've become the exact opposite of that. ....Yep, I'm rambling...

I'll pray for you, and myself!

[Edited on 6-10-2004 by alwaysreforming]

__________________
Christopher Hinton
Northland, A Church Distributed;
Altamonte Springs, FL

Wow man.

I almost don't feel so bad about being the miserable dude. I wonder how many other Christians have to deal with this? Where did we go wrong? Where's the love?

I dunno about the rest of you, but my feelings spurn out of love. I have such a desire to reach people that I get angry when they seem so un-reachable. It's easy to love people and be all smiles when you don't go too far when trying to reach others (I know some believers who don't do a thing).

But I work 24/7 with young, rebellious teens and many adults who work with me are also not CHristians! It's not that I hate these kids and adults, no in fact I pray earnestly for their salvation and do all I can on a personal level to teach them of Christ and His love.

BUT!!!!

Most of them (99.9%) think that means 100% tolerance, that Jesus loves and accepts them in their sin! When I try to calmly explain why and how that isn't true and that true repentance is needed then everyone turns on me terribly.

I know I should expect this but I end up resenting it and thinking "screw them" alot of the time. Sad, but I am trying to work on it. SOmeone actually told me to excercise more!

At risk of starting an argument - love isn't always a feeling.
Sounds to me like you [b:e9eea40d4b]do[/b:e9eea40d4b] love these people, but you're just discouraged right now. It happens in the best of families - often! Praying for you.

__________________
The man who is disposed to think of his sin as a great calamity, rather than as a heinous crime, is not likely either to reverence God or to respect His law. - John Kennedy, 1873
Meg
Blog
Member, Intown Presbyterian Church,PCA, Portland, OR

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Whew!

Thats nice to hear!

I appreciate that thought.