Frustration with the World

[St_Joseph_Cupertino]

Hey.

I'm getting more and more frustrated with the world...I find it very difficult not to judge people, but sometimes I wonder a lot about the guys in my office...

Here's a rundown:

Atheist in the corner - one of the first things he said to me was "Are you going to try to convert me? It's not gonna work?" when I started here.

"Practicing Catholic" at front desk - I say "practicing" cuz every 5th word out of his mouth is blasphemy. I confronted himo about it....guess what he said: "I don't mean it that way...Isay it out of frustration" Wha?

Excommunicated Company President - Boasted one day about "Them" excommunicating him to me and another colleague.

Adulterous colleague - "If you have been together as long as we have, you reach an understanding." quoted when people around me were talking about sex.



I feel like I'm drowning a bit here.
Every time someone blasphemes, I inconspicuously draw a cross on my forehead and say a "Glory be" in me head. It's so difficult to remain positive about your work when I'm surrounded with these kind of folk.



I'll be looking for other work in the new year.

Don't really know why I posted this, but I guess just to vent a bit...thanks for listening!

Peace in Christ.

 

[PeterPaul]

Same here brother. One person told me babies were disposable. Another was having a sex toy party (I asked her if she was having it in front of her kids...you should have seen her face after I said that), another was talking about how religion gets in the way of her shopping (to laughter all around). I can't even talk about what my gay co-worker talks about (he's a nice guy and I'm charitable to him, but I don't need to hear what he does with x or y).

Anyway, I'm the most hated man there. Which doesn't bother me because I'm headed beyond them there hills.

 

[Aaron-Aggie]

NOAH was a drunk....
ABRAHAM was too old...
ISAAC was a daydreamer....
JACOB was a liar...
LEAH was ugly...
JOSEPH was abused...
MOSES had a stuttering problem...
GIDEON was afraid...
SAMPSON had long hair, and was a womanizer!
RAHAB was a prostitute!
JEREMIAH and TIMOTHY were too young...
DAVID had an affair and was a murderer...
ELIJAH was suicidal...
ISAIAH preached naked...
JONAH ran from God...
NAOMI was a widow...
JOB went bankrupt...
JOHN the Baptist ate bugs...
PETER denied Christ...
The Disciples fell asleep while praying...
MARTHA worried about everything...
MARY MAGDALENE was, well, you know ...
The SAMARITAN WOMAN was divorced....more than once!!
ZACCHEUS was too small...
PAUL was too religious...
TIMOTHY had an ulcer....
AND LAZARUS WAS DEAD!!!!

Rember God can touch the hearts of all and use all no mater who they are. And pray he does for these people

And ask yourself what sins our Lord would write in the sand as you stood with stone in hind to stone the women.

 

[Mystery5]

One of my most comforting passages for this type of situation:

Passage: 1 Peter 2:18-25 (RSV)

18) Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to the kind and gentle but also to the overbearing.
19) For one is approved if, mindful of God, he endures pain while suffering unjustly.
20) For what credit is it, if when you do wrong and are beaten for it you take it patiently? But if when you do right and suffer for it you take it patiently, you have God's approval.
21) For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
22) He committed no sin; no guile was found on his lips.
23)When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he trusted to him who judges justly.
24) He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
25) For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

 

[Rising_Suns]

"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." [Rom 12:18]
​

You posess in your heart the truth; you have the rarest of pearls; there is no casue to get frustrated. Those who God calls, will hear Him. And those whose hearts are hardened will not. In the simple words of St. Theresa, "Let nothing distress you. He who poesesses God lacks nothing. God alone suffices."

I know how easy it is to get furstrated, but try hard not to fall into this temptation, otherwise you will be too blinded to see a potential opportunity God presents before you, one that will take much effort in love on your part.

May the Lord give you His peace!

-Davide

 

[epiclesis]

I kind of felt like that at camp this year. (this was my third year as a counselor)

First year i was there, all the counselors in one of the cabins had marijuana and went out drinking most of the nights...

second year the highlight was all the girls sitting around telling the stories of how they lost their virginity (none married. and i was the only one out of 7 that didnt have a story)

this last year my best friend went with me... it was awful... everything the counselors talked about was related to sex and masturbation (even in front of the kids)... elise had a lot of catholic tshirts she wore, and they kind of made looks and picked on her....
they bothered us a lot to do extra work when we did most of the work and dealt with most of the problems, when they did hardly anything and sat around..

it was pretty frustrating, and this year was my last year. it's not worth the $270 i get for the week..... nothing is worth that.

 

[Rising_Suns]

by the way, i love your profile pic. where did you find this?

 

[Irenaeus]

RisingSuns,

http://home.inreach.com/bstanley/index.htm

<Irenaeus suddenly realises how many Catholic sites he has visited over the year>

 

[Irenaeus]

My friends,

Welcome to earth. We are aliens and pilgrims here. My personal prayers will be with you all.

I had a similar experience with a church group about two summers ago. About 8 kids went skinny-dipping, and I tried to stop them. My attempts were in vain, so I spent at least a hour in prayer with many tears. One of the kids then came by me and said, "What's wrong with being naked? Adam and Eve were!"

And I replied, "Yes, and when their eyes were uncovered, they saw their shame!"

He kept walking.

I kept praying and was very upset. Two days later they were caught and I prayed and cried a bit more.

I suppose that's the way it is sometime.

 

[Mystery5]

My friends,

Welcome to earth. We are aliens and pilgrims here. My personal prayers will be with you all.

Beam me up Scotty, we run into some hostile aliens here!

 

[Victrixa]

I understand the feeling. It hurts so much to see so many people rejecting God's love and grace and offending Him continuously and shamelessly.

 

[HappyMomof4]

Here's something I try to do when someone is offensive. I just say to myself, "God bless him/her" It helps me not to dwell on the anger and frustration I feel. Maybe I'll say a short prayer for them to change their ways.

 

[Caedmon]

You would think that I'd have a really hard time, considering I'm one of very few Catholics here. But fortunately, there are a lot of church-going people, so even if they're not Catholic, I don't get that much flak. But, I do have to bear with some of the more favorite subjects of discussion, like who's having babies, how they don't know where babies come from, and why in the world they're not using contraception, etc. Those discussions really irk me, and I would speak up more often, if only I wasn't so afraid of retribution.

 

[Alexis OCA]

I kind of felt like that at camp this year. (this was my third year as a counselor)

they bothered us a lot to do extra work when we did most of the work and dealt with most of the problems, when they did hardly anything and sat around..

As a parent I am thinking...

And if those problems you dealt with were those of the campers you were a counselor of I thank God that it was YOU who were there for them. YOU were the presence of Christ in the midst of mediocrity and evil. Job well done Steph!

 

[Mystery5]

As a parent I am thinking...

Yeah, I was thinking the same, like I don't think I want to send my kids to camp!!!

 

[Alexis OCA]

Yeah, I was thinking the same, like I don't think I want to send my kids to camp!!!

A sad situation but your post had me ROFL.

 

[St_Joseph_Cupertino]

Thank you all and may God bless all of you for the lovely words here.

I am so encouraged by this. I posted almost just as I left work yesterday and I was overjoyed when I read all your posts this morning!

It's good to be reminded of where we are and why we are here.

Thanks guys!

Peace in Christ!

 

[epiclesis]

As a parent I am thinking...

And if those problems you dealt with were those of the campers you were a counselor of I thank God that it was YOU who were there for them. YOU were the presence of Christ in the midst of mediocrity and evil. Job well done Steph!

I know what you mean, and I agree. Elise (my best friend) and I thought that for the first couple days... The other counselors were very mean to the kids and yelling at them when they didn't even need to, when all they really needed was a little love & discipline. But by the end of the week you feel like you've become a parent because you've been disciplining these kids so much. It got kind of frustrating.
Most of the kids come from sexually, mentally, physically and emotionally abusive families. It's a handicapped kids camp, it's put on by local rotaries, and it's free for these families to send these kids to camp. It doesn't cost them anything, but they have to have a low income below some certain amount, but I'm not sure what.
Most of the parents have some serious issues, drinking and drugs and stuff and some of the stories you hear are pretty sad. The kids have issues, and aren't disciplined at all... all they want to do is cuss at each other (these kids are like 11 and talk with words that I don't even use...) and all they want to do is fight... I've had to stand restraining boys almost my size for half an hour to an hour because of their behavior and such while they try to kick, hit, and elbow me while cussing me out..
So of course at the beginning you feel like you're glad you're the one dealing with it, but by the end of the week when you're listening to 11 year old boys talking about masturbating all week, you start to change your mind (and become frustrated).

(sorry for rambling )

Yeah, I was thinking the same, like I don't think I want to send my kids to camp!!!

read above.