yeaah life's been weird.

ChickenSoup

ChickenSoup

Banned
I'm not going into a lot of detail here, but I've been kind of depressed lately with all the stuff going on in my life right now. It's kinda nice that I get to go to this Christian camp a whole lot (working a few weeks and attending a few weeks) so it's like an escape from all the crud but when I come home at the end of the week it's like "wow this really stinks."

Another thing I've been struggling with (that sort of added to the slight depression) is that while I've been working there I feel really insignificant. Not because of the co-workers, employers, or work environment--but I'd see the guest speaker or counselors speaking powerful messages or something and all of these kids would get saved and what do I do? I mop floors, wash fifty jillion dishes, etc. etc. etc. and I feel like I want to do something more but anything I do is just insignificant and like it's not worth anything. I prayed about it and the same day I got an extremely encouraging email from my dad about how one of the pastors there was talking to my mom about how I was keeping up morale by making people laugh, worked hard, yadda yadda, and my dad just told me how proud he was of me and stuff, and because of the feeling of uselessness on my part and some other stuff that's going on in my life I just read it a couple times over and cried for a really long time.

Yeah, so that's about it right now. This has been a public service announcement by Chicken Soup.
 
C$ I can totally relate and at times I also feel worthless (real bad lately) doing mundane things that I started doing when I first began my career but we know thats not true but the feeling lingers none the less. I write in hopes that I make others smile or to inspire one to use a part or piece for his glory even tho I have no clue if I do just that, but I continue to do it anyway. Keep in mind what you don't see kinda what Dad was telling you. I know awsome things are ahead of you just hang in there and I will keep u in my prayers along with others who need to feel they do make a difference. p.s doing dishes counts hehehehe
 
It's difficult for any man in America not to base his self-worth on his occupation. Common human culture, across time and space, has glorified the man with wealth, status, and physical strength. Some psychologists theorize that everything a man does is to win the favor of the opposite sex. American culture, whether explicitly or not, buys into that theory wholesale.

Why else does Donald Trump, with his blatant lack of ethics and ridiculous hair, get his own television show?

Why do television advertising executives keep pushing ridiculous scenarios like those presented in the Axe commercials?

Why is the term "gold digger" so widely known? Why are there so many women that fit the profile?

To listen to popular society while trying to live according to the principles set forth in the Bible leads to severe frustration. (Note there is a difference between hearing and listening.)

The Bible clearly states that our self-worth is not based on our job. Consider the two most prominent figures in the New Testament: Jesus and Paul. Jesus worked as a carpenter. Manual labor is not regarded with much esteem in American culture. Paul worked as a tent-maker while traveling and teaching various churches. Pastors of megachurches in modern American would scoff at the idea of taking a second job to support themselves while teaching the Word, yet Paul humbled himself and did what had to be done. It's hard to imagine Paul having his secretary tell a local church that he couldn't preach there unless they could guarantee a certain amount in the offering.

Speaking from personal experience, I wish I had spent less time thinking, "This is beneath me," when I could have been glorifying God and blessing others. In my time, I've shrink-wrapped (shrunk-wrap?) t-shirts for truck stops, made drinks in a coffee shop, and operated a cash register at a Walgreens.

Also remember that very few people go from student to CEO. Every person born without a silver spoon in their mouth has to "put their time in" and work jobs they don't like. I don't mean to say that you should sweep floors with glee; just don't lose perspective.

And remember that, without Christ, we deserve even worse than a bad job--we deserve eternal separation from God. Even more important than keeping a sane perspective of our surroundings is keeping matters in eternal perspective: "I'm sweeping floors today, but how can I bring glory to God?" Sometimes just doing a good job without complaining is enough to glorify God. I've found that non-Christians can identify Christians very easily and they're watching constantly--consciously or not--for any sign of pride, anger, or any other sort of sin.

Finally, don't think too much about your job. It's only one part of your life. Your family relationships and your involvement in your local church are important, too. While we should be cautious to avoid compartmentalizing our lives (a trap into which I personally often fall), we should recognize that one's job is only one aspect of one's life.

I'm still struggling with the same issues in my life. I'm 27, going on 30, and I have yet to really begin my career in journalism. When I look at my and my wife's plan for the next few years, I doubt if my career will ever get off the ground. It's frustrating, but I have to remember that I am more than my career.
 
Thanks guys! It sort of helped. I have learned a lot about humility in the past few weeks...

Some psychologists theorize that everything a man does is to win the favor of the opposite sex.
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>_> <_<

<_< >_>

...

o_O

o_O

Well, erm, I admit that some of the stuff I did that was above and beyond what was asked of me was to, um, well, anyway I'll get back to following Paul's example.
 
i know how u feel sometimes c$

i care about this girl alot, idk why, i barley know her, heck we talked like twice, but for some reason i like her alot.

worst part is there is rlly nothing i cna do about it, makes me feel useless and wimpy. parents dont want me to date her or contact her in anyway, and with her past she has a high chance of hurting herself. so i know its hard to follow some of the things the bible says (obey thy parents), but it all works out if u do as it says, even grudingly, do everything with a smile on your face and it usually works out for the better.

just know god has a plan for you. and hey, at least your scrubbing gods floors^^ i dont even have a job. sometimes it feels like everyone is against you and your doing the wrong thing, but also realise your still young, your what? 15? and the people giving sermons are what? 20-30?

If you feel obliged to do something then pray to god to guide you, you may FEEL like you wanna save someone, you may FEEL like you wanna give a sermon at the camp, but maybe thats not what god wants you to do? at least not now.

and as tek said, your job isnt the only part of you, you have a family to take care of, pets to feed (you have pets right?), and fro mthe sounds of it a girl to show-off to (ftw). also, depending on the age of the ppl at camp, some of them could look up to you. throw in some words of encouragement, pray at work, do something to show them that you believe in christ and that its cool for them to listen and follow what the counselor/guest speaker w/e says.
 
Blkstones said:
i
i care about this girl alot, idk why, i barley know her, heck we talked like twice, but for some reason i like her alot.
Click to expand...

Hey, you too?

Oh - uh, nvm.
I have felt some depression over my job, but - I'm depressed over the number of hours I work, not the lowlyness of the job.

C$, that email you got from your Dad was - amazing. Wish more Dads took the time to encourage their kids like that.
I think I'm starting to tear up now. :(
 
I know how you feel, I've felt like that before.

And about feeling insignificant, remember, the Bible says the first will be last, and the last will be first, and that the greatest of all is the servant of all. Even if you feel in significant, God sees your hard work, and will reward you.

God bless
 
I don't feel so insignificant now so much, because I had a chance to really encourage a close friend of mine and I felt like I did something even though seeing them like that tore me up pretty badly inside (long story) I feel like I was there for them when they needed it... yeah so I'm feeling better about that... anyway, now I just have to take on all the other bits of crud I have going on right now.
 
Kind of like how a little hair clog in the drain can fill the bathtub with water?

...or whatever. Anyway, it's been better. :\
 
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