Good day everyone.
I am a nursing student. My ultimate goal is to be a travel nurse.
I am happily married for over 12 years and have 3 children: ages 6, 4, and 2. Family is the most important thing in the world and I want to help families work out problems so they do not have to be torn apart.
If your family is as important to you as mine is to me, get the help you need. If you do not like my advice, I respect that but look for someone that works for your needs.
Your family is worth it!
Gender: Female
Location: Ohio
Occupation: Home maker/ nursing student
Age: 31
Member Since: October 26, 2007
Answers: 223
Last Update: September 27, 2011
Visitors: 32449
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ok so i am f/17 and i want to become closer to God i mean ive been baptizted before bt i really want to become closer to the lord i guess i just got baptized because i felt i had to at the moment i was close to the lord before i got baptized though.bt after that everything went down hill =[ i just want to be closer to the lord because he is my confort bt im scared to talk to him for some odd reason
soo how can i become closer to the lord like i was before?
what can i do ?
and will god be angry at me because ive changed? (link)
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God loves you. Regardless of what you have done or how you have changed, He loves you and wants to be closer to you.
The best way to be close to God is to do things for Him. One way would be to get involved in Sunday School classes to learn more in depth information about him, and do volunteer work to continue doing the work of Jesus.
Remember the popular saying WWJD? What Would Jesus Do? Well, sort of keep that in mind. Jesus was friends with the sick, the hungry, the people in his society who were shunned. You could volunteer at a soup kitchen or a nursing home or hospital. If there is a "drive" at a local church you could participate.
During the school year we have a "Backpack project" where we pack up bags of food to give kids every friday. The kids who get the bags qualify for free or reduced priced lunches at school. We feel if they cannot afford school lunch, they may not get much on the weekends either. During the summer this continued and we met up in neighborhoods around the area serving lunches to those kids who receive the "backpacks" during the school year. You could have had a role as simple as preparing the food, helping to serve it, etc. This is just one example.
It is certainly important to find a good church. Attending Sundays is important but even more important are the classes. Particularly if you have a pastor who can be long winded (lol) you may not get a lot out of that lesson. But if you can participate in a class, you could be reading, doing projects with, and having deep discussions with a small group of other people who are just as curious as you.
My church offers various classes such as Disciple. There are 4 levels of this and they are a long term commitment (an entire school year long). You go step by step through the bible understanding the background of the books so that it puts everything into context and helps to understand why the people did what they did.
Another class I took about 4 years ago was called "Serious answers to hard questions" which dove into things like the terrorist attacks, science versus religion, why do bad things happen to good people, etc. These kids of things you dont really learn that much during a Sunday sermon.
I was in your place about 10 years ago. I was so "thirsty" to learn more about God. I still don't know anywhere near what I want to know but I have grown as a Christian since I joined my church 7 years ago and am much more fulfilled in my life. It sounds like this is what you may need as well.
It is always ok to pray. Pray to God and discuss with Him that you are confused and need help. You may find something bizaar happens soon afterwards such as an advertisement from a local church needing help with a food drive. I have had this sort of thing happen. I was having financial difficulties and prayed to God that there be some relief to my situation. The next day I had an E-Mail from my children's pastor that they were in desparate need of help with Sunday Morning child care and it was a paid position... would I be interested. Sometimes it isnt that obvious. Another example is I was in the car one time complaining to God about some rediculous circumstances in my life that as I look back on were pretty pathetic. As I was praying I had a christian disc playing. I suddenly became aware of the words to a song that was currently playing "I asked for myself (he showed me a friend in need)" and I realized... stop being so selfish and realize there are other people in much more need than myself!!!
These are all just examples of my personal experience but the Lord works in mysterious ways.
I hope this was helpful. Certainly if you have any further questions I would be MORE than happy to discuss christianity with you.
Everything being said: Pray to God. Don't be afraid. He will tell you what you need to do. He loves you. He misses you.
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And I wasn't always afraid. I was as a child, and then I managed to accept it and find comfort spiritually.
But I've been going through a rough patch in my life, and suddenly, I find all my faith in regards to death to be a bit shaken, and also just afraid. I mean, I still have faith in a lot of things, I don't want a big spiritual discussion. It's just... I'm afraid of how sudden I could die, without knowing why or saying my farewells to my loved ones, and what happens afterwards, and if anything I've done matters when I die. And even if it's not my death, I'm afraid of the day when I lose the people I care about, especially the ones who help support me in my times of emotional need.
Someone, help me accept my mortality and that of everyone else without it becoming a "Join this faith" speech or a nihilistic rant on the meaninglessness of life. Other than that, I'll accept a lot of help from as many as I can get.
Male, 27 (link)
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I hope it helps to say your are normal.
There are a few things here that helped me come to that conclusion :)
1. You are a 27 year old male. That means your are right around the time that your brain is coming to full maturity. The average adult brain matures around 25 and a bit later for males. As adults, our "developmental milestones" tend to be less significant than learning to walk and talk and teens feel they can win world peace if they could win the lottery and build a big hotel to house the world's homeless.
But at 27 you may be at a point in your life where you realize... you are going to die. We all hope it will be 100 years from now. For most of us, especially in this country we will make it to a fairly nice old age. Children are so impulsive and wreckless because they don't realize how fragile their bodies are. They see on t.v someone jump from a roof holding a few bird feathers and assume they can fly too. They don't understand that, not only will that not work but when they hit the ground... they will be seriously hurt. We reach a point in our life when bungee jumping, sky diving, those really risky things look like a lot of fun but... I think I'll pass. I am mortal and have concerns that I may not be the same at the end of the day if I go through that activity. You may have just come to realize your mortality.
2. You have been going through a rough patch in your life. I have no idea what this means but it certainly seems significant! You are approaching 30. You could be seeing many of your friends married and having children. If you are single, you may be wondering what is going to become of your life. You may not even be dating someone right now but you know you dont want to be alone forever. This can lead to a feeling of urgency to find that special woman to settle down and have a family. The more urgent the need to find someone becomes you the more you get upset at the idea you are getting older and "may not have enough time" to find her... a vicious cycle.
3. You may have something missing in your life. If you are at odds with someone you love perhaps it is time to be mature and end the hostility. I once heard a good piece of advice regarding not speaking with a member of the family for years because of a falling out. "If that person died tomorrow- would they die knowing you love them?" I think this is a good piece of advice even if there hasnt been a falling out- to be sure you tell and show the people you care about how you feel about them on a fairly regular basis but particularly if you are at odds with someone, it may be time to repair the situation. Maybe you are unhappy with work. It could take a lot of schedule changes, financial hardship, and overall life difficulty but... go back to school. Study something you love and get a great job. Maybe you dont feel you have "served your purpose" yet. You asked to not get involved in a spiritual conversation but spirituality is real. Maybe you need to do something with Habitat for Humanity, or volunteer once a month for a soup kitchen, or take a week off work and go help clean a beach at the Gulf Coast... these are all just hypothetical examples. But it we arent being fed spiritually we do not feel whole. Many people dont understand this or try to deny it. They are the ones who go through life never "finding themselves".
I am not asking you to join a particular faith. And life is not meaningless. But life IS what we make of it. If you are afraid of dying you should eat healthy, exercise, avoid risky activities. Be interactive with people. Don't sit around your house. Get out and take a hike. Listen to the birds. Get involved with some sort of project. Eventually I think you will find you are busy enough ENJOYING life that you don't really put a huge focus on the end of life. If you are afraid you will die before anything you have done matters- wake up tomorrow and do something, or at least start something that matters. Take "matters" into your own hands. You don't have to just let life pass you by!!
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Have u ever heard that you are not supposed to clean or work on good friday because it is Gods Day??? if so tell me what you think about that. Why arent you supposed to???? Tell me what you know???? (link)
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I cannot speak for all denominations, especially not the orthodox christians and catholics. I am only speaking as a United Methodist which is a group of protestants.
We generally spend the day if able in prayer and reflection. We are not specifically told we are not allowed to work although as very active and involved UMs, my husband usually takes the day off so we can go to church. You are supposed to treat it as a day of mourning and in meditation about how Jesus had just spent a few years preaching and teaching and being followed as a miracle man, the son of God who could do all of these great and wonderful things. Then he was put out into the wilderness under extremely harsh conditions; no food, no water, no help. In fact, the opposite. He had the devil on his heels. Finally, he was able to get back to "civilization" where everyone cheered and supported him and cried out in joy and great happiness. Then less than a week later he was betrayed by a friend, sentenced to death, beaten and literally ripped apart to within an inch of life, and then left hanging from a cross with nails and a crown of thorns in front of a crowd who were making fun of him and mocking him, to die.
Our pastor makes it quite clear that to truely experience the spirituality of Easter, it is important to remember what Jesus went through in dying and death to be truely awed on Easter. It is therefore very important to get to church and do some reflecting and meditating on Good Friday.
But as far as working... I think technically it is okay. Even working on the sabbath (technically Saturday but traditionally Sunday to coincide with pagan days) is okay. I don't know the specifics but in the bible it gets pretty specific about how many steps you are allowed to take, etc. to be considered work.
And if you are not allowed to clean on Good Friday... I need to do some serious praying for forgiveness because I am having Easter dinner at my house so you better believe AFTER CHURCH I was quite busy at my house getting things done!!!!
An orthodox christian or catholic may have different opinions on this. They traditionally take the bible much more literally than the majority of the religious and faithful population.
I went on a bit... I think I was "moved" (smile) so I hope this helped you.
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i always feel like i am approaching death. like im 15 years old i dont have any real friends anymore. everything i try at, i can't succeed. ive never gotten along with my family at all. it might sound liek im complaining but honestly nohting can go right in my life no matter how hard i try. it just doesnt seem liek there is a place for me in the world at all, or like i dont know i dont feel like the purpose of me being alive is doing good for anyone or myself. i get very very depressed most of the time and i honestly just want to kill myself, liek there really isnt a point ofme staying alive. ive gone to a therapist for over a year but nothing really seems to help.
i guess i dont know what im asking but please help meee, and dont just reply with something like "hang in there it will get better" i want actual advice (link)
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I don't want to give you too much here as I read several answers people have already given you. You got some pretty good advice!
I agree with most of them saying this is common for teens to go through (as a teen I myself ended up having to see a therapist for having "passive thoughts of suicide") Someone mentioned finding something you are good at and go for it for all the strength you have. Art? Music? Building model cars? Fixing electronics? Interior decorating? I dont know but find something. Pray for the strength to keep it up.
If nothing else works... there is always a chance you could have an actual chemical imbalance in your brain that could be helped by getting put on an anti-depressant. The negative stigma of this is going by the wayside and I feel anyone who gets the mental help they need should be hugely proud of themselves. You took the first step. You admitted in the spirituality section of an advice column that you are depressed and need help. Good for you for recognizing it!!! Now try the next step. You are worth it. In a few years you can talk to a 15 year old going through the same thing and help them. Just remember, you are an extremely important person... God knows.
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I need help... Today I went to my religion classes so I could get prepared for my confirmation. Today was my first day but I noticed something about myself. My knowledge of religion is weak. I don't know why. I went to a catholic school for 6 years straight and that helped me become a Catholic. After that I got into a good public school and that's when I learned a lot of things. So really science interfered with my religion but I didn't get offended I was actually amazed maybe there couldn't be like a God who started life but science did. But I decided to become Agnostic so I could search for proof of a God or proof of no God. But then my weekly church going seemed to stop not because I didn't want to go it just that things are changing and going there seems timely impossible. So my belief in God began to diminish. So right now I am like half Agnostic and half Atheist. So really my first class just made me realize that my knowledge of religion is weak and I don't know what's this feeling I am feeling. It feels like disbeleif or disappointment in myself and there's a little fear because what if there is truly a God and there's a saying that the lord see's everything so what if my thoughts are offending Him? I just don't know anymore because I also get the feeling that religion doesn't really seem to interest me anymore or matter. I just like want to be a normal person and I heard that people can do that, just live out their lives and not believe in anything. But the thing is my family is like all catholic and they all believe in God but I seem to not to or not know if there is one. I don't wanna tell them my situation because they might not accept my changed path or I might feak them out. I think I know they won't accept my changed path because they already won't accept me for who I am (Goth/Emo. Ugh... this is just too much and maybe too much for you advice givers to read. Sorry. I just need some advice... (link)
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Before you decide to go athiest, you really should discuss your feelings with someone of faith that you trust to give you good, concrete advice.
Something that my Wednesday evening bible study has been going over is "Serious Answers to Hard Questions". This class covers a variety of issues including evil, other religions, and the issue of science versus religion. I was excited to learn that science and religion are not in turmoil with each other but in harmony!!! Science answers the questions of HOW things happen. Religion answers the questions of WHY. For example, science says the earth was started by the Big Bang. Someone I respect HIGHLY in my church belives that this is true... but is it possible that God created/caused the big bang? If planets, stars, galaxies, etc. are constantly evolving into bigger/smaller/differently shaped entities, why couldn't we have evolved from apes? That is not what Christianity teaches but why couldn't it have happened?
What I am trying to say is the Bible is a tricky book. Humans got lots of things wrong or misunderstood in the Old Testament. Therefore God sent Jesus to the earth to straighten people out and explain some things. It is also important to remember the translations. The bible was passed down verbally for a long time and then written in aramic, then translated in to three other primary languages, and finally into english which, by the way, english itself has changed dramatically over the last 1000 or so years. It takes a person who is deeply educated and has studied the deep history of religion to explain things appropriately.
I just don't want you to walk away from religion unless you have a strong reason to. It sounds like you just got a little confused because of new science education. The fact is, science can actually help strengthen your beliefs, you just need to get a deeper education.
It has been my experience over the last decade that I have met people who were non-believers. I am thinking of 5 people specifically. The decided to learn more about Christianity so they would be able to explain their reasons better about why they cannot possibly believe in Christianity. It didn't work out the way the planned. The more all 5 of them learned... the more believers they became and one has even decided to go to seminary!
Religion is full of important ideas and morals. Please don't walk away because of confusion. Give it a chance and talk to people you can trust.
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What part of the Bible tells you that you shouldn't cus? I mean I've been looking for it but i can't find it. Can someone give me the exact line/lines in which it says. Then maybe explain it to me so I will understand better? Thanks... (link)
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The truth is... the Bible doesn't tell you about cussing. The Bible asks you to be respectful to to your neighbors, family, and God. Cussing is a local thing. Most of the curse words we have today didn't even exist in biblical times. The real issue is socially, several words are unacceptable and show ignorance and low class. If you have a strong enough vocabulary you shouldn't need to resort to a 4-letter word. And you should certainly respect God, your neighbors, and your family but the reality is, cursing is a socially unacceptable thing... not a biblical thing. So rest assured, the occasional 4-letter word does not necessarily mean you are doomed to an eternity in hell!
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