Frustrated? Thinking of Quitting?

jokitaylor

Banned
It has been on my heart to write this up for a while. I was not asked to do this and it does not have the endorsement of any leadership, so let me just say if this is wrong it is all on my shoulders.

Most of us have felt frustration with the guild at one time or another. None of us are immune to those feelings that come with being part of a community that is organic, that is to say active and alive.

I have been playing this game for nearly five years now, and have seen every kind of thing imaginable. I have left guilds, I have joined guilds, I have had bitterness against certain people, and I have had my heart trampled on.

My goal in writing this note is to encourage anyone who may either be in that place or heading down that road.

When you are frustrated or thinking of quitting here are some things you need to be aware of:
1) Yes it is a game, but there are real people on the other side of the keyboard who have just as many feelings and passions as you do.

2) Everyone has a sinful nature - if we truly understand salvation we are saved from an eternity separated from God, but our sin nature is still present until Christ returns. This means that in a living breathing community people who are still prone to make mistakes and to hurt each other. Hopefully we can be as quick to forgive as Christ forgave us.

3) Ultimately in a community you do not always get what you want. It is the same in any community relationship whether it is our families or friends, our job, or our church.

So what do I do with my frustration or bitterness?
1) The first question you need to ask yourself is - have I clearly identified what is bugging me and have I talked to someone about it. Even if you just want to bounce it off a friend it is better than leaving it bottled up inside.

2) Don't assume everyone sees it the way you do. I know for a fact that a simple misinterpretation can lead to heartache. Make sure that your perspective is correct before you take action.

3) Have you prayed about it? I recently was so frustrated with something here in this very guild that I very nearly felt like quitting. I prayed and asked God to show me what to do. He led me down a very different road and the situation was resolved.

4) Have you taken some time to think it through clearly? Dwelling on bad thoughts is not Biblical - make sure that you have carefully thought something through before you make any hasty decisions.

5) Are you leaving with bitterness against someone? The Bible simply doesn't let us off the hook for that. In Matthew it tells us that we need to go an be reconciled with one another. If you can leave with love and respect then you are clear, if not in truth the problem will follow you around.

6) Are you prepared to throw away friendships? Leaving a guild comes at a great cost - you may lose very valuable friendships over a hasty decision.

7) Ask yourself honestly if the reason you are frustrated or quitting is Biblical or simply emotional. This is very difficult and I suggest you find some good advice from a trusted friend.

I write these things that God may be glorified in this guild, and that you may not lose heart. God is sovereign and when we can with confidence cast all our cares upon Him.

If you need to talk - yeah I'm a nobody but I have been there and I am willing to just be a friend, please don't leave everything bottled up inside.

God bless.
 
If that is auto win... what's a picture of Spurgeon worth? He was WAY cooler than Piper, even though Piper is cool.

Umm what can I say - I border on idolatry with Spurgeon being the Prince of Preachers and the one whom I love more than any other preacher (except Richard Baxter - 16th Century Puritan - who is a close second).
 
Just to add: Remember that time can feel very magnified when it comes to a game like that, especially at this (ICC+) level. When you're raiding the highest raid in the game, it's easy to feel like there's not much else to do in the game. While that's not necessarily true, I understand having that feeling. Thus, any time you, for instance, don't make it into a raid, it can be very easy to feel like you have nothing to do, as if you're very ability to have fun playing WoW has been taken from you by raid leadership (that's the extremist thought, but hey, it happens). Therefore, not making the raid on Tuesday and subsequently on Thursday of the same week cna make you feel as though you haven't been able to do ANYthing for soooooo long, even though it's really only ~5 hours of play time over the course of three days. Make sure you take time to step and really check the calendar. It might be true that you feel like you have excluded for weeks, when it was actually only 2 or 3 days.
 
I do want to add a couple things. I have taken Healsalot and Hylander out of Redeemed as most of you except maybe the newest members know. I still have ditzydorf in though and while my daughter isn't currently playing, she still has Unchained in. (any of you that play Smallworlds or Secondlife, that is where she is right now.) I hope she will start again soon.

I like to raid and have been a hard core raider since I first started MMO's with UO and Everquest. I was in one of the higher raiding guilds on the server pre-BC and then I took a break from WoW for a year because I had a job where I was working almost 80 hours a week many weeks.

My daughter started playing in that time and joined Redeemed. I started back up part time and also joined. This was great and Redeemed fit what I wanted at the time.

I have not had that job for some time because I was able to leave it and just stay in business on my own as a photographer. Much less of a time commitment on my own part now.

Well, I wanted to get back into hard core raiding. While redeemed does do some raiding, I do not view them as a raiding guild. I wanted to do what I enjoy to do with my $15/month which is raid. Nothing more or nothing less than that. I just enjoy raiding and I went to where I could do that on a more competitive level. That's not saying anything bad about Redeemed at all, I just have different focus with my time in WoW. I've lost a few friends in the guild but most of you have stayed friends and I will help any of you in any way I can. I'll still do enchants, JC, and now... Alchemy for any of you that need it and help with instances or whatever you need.

My point is, just keep in mind that just because someone leaves Redeemed it doesn't have to be out of any reason other than they just have a different focus for their $15/month. WoW to me is still a game. It's not my RL social time. I have plenty of that still as I am involved in my church in several ways and still manage to balance that with WoW quite well along with family time.
 
I have plenty of that still as I am involved in my church in several ways and still manage to balance that with WoW quite well along with family time.

I suppose that's the point, entirely. I wasn't doing a good job of balancing my playtime with church and family time.

To play this or any other game, time has to be sacrificed. Where we take that time from is the question we all have to answer. No doubt real life is hard and we all need a little break from the stress it has to offer, but we must count the cost.

Here is another question. If these relationships are true and long-lasting, would they still exist if the game went away?

Food for thought.

Bless you all in your journey.
 
Each can make his or her own decisions how to spend the time God has alotted us, that is a personal decision. I personally have made and kept many friendships in game and yes, they have lasted beyond the game and because of that, I'm an increased and enriched in the wealth of Christian fellowship.

Best wishes to all, whatever your calling in life!
 
Great post, sneezer! Really, Pneuma, What you wrote is not just something that applies to guild relationships, or even WoW in general. It is something that applies to all of life. Great teaching, bro! I stand amazed and awed by the spiritual depth of my brothers and sisters in Christ in this guild. And I thank God for you as you inspire me in my walk with the Lord. Thanks for the great teaching, and I envy those who get to regularly sit under it!

I have to remember - it is just a game and keep it in its priority. I deeply respect Baldy for his commitment to his family and church that inspires me as I game with him. There are so many more that I game with that are so impressive to me. Funny - what God will use to minister to us... And he is so amazing. Habakkuk shared this with us as did several of the psalmists.

Thanks to all of my guildies for the challenge to grow in Christ.
 
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