What do I do when I feel as if I am all on my own?
No don't get me wrong - I'm not one of these sad people who feels sorry for themselves and has no friends. I am actually incredibly happy, healthy and successful at work and I put it all down to God's goodness. I rejoice at the number of blessings I have received over the years and I have always tried to live my life both at work and at home by Christian principals. My job is very much vocational and I feel I have been called to it. I try to be a good father and husband and I try to go to church each week. Like everyone I keep failing but I pick myself up and keep trying harder.
The problem is that I am surrounded by very few other Christians in my life. My wife didn't have a religious upbringing and remains sceptical although she will often come to church with me, none of her family are Christian, neither are any of my firends at work. I make no secret of my faith and I think I am respected for it but I can't share it with anyone.
So if something bad happens or someone is ill I want to say "let's pray for them" but I don't because no one around me will join with me because they don't understand how I believe that to be so important. Suerly I should just speak out all the time about how I believe praying for someone or something to be so important but they would then all think me weird and back away.
If I want to go to Church because it's Sunday and something I normally do, I often don't because of some other family commitment. I can tell my wife that I would like to go but she says I went last week and this family gathering/event is good for us all to be together (and surely she's right?). She just doesn't understand how important it is for me to make my communion and pray to God regularly. I have tried to explain to her, people at my Church have offered to talk to her but she doesn't get it. I don't want to ram my faith down her throat for fear of putting her off altogether and the fact that she shows an occaisional interest suggests to me that there's the flicker of something there that i don't want to snuff out.
So I keep trying, I keep talking and being open about my faith but I keep failing. Do I just keep on doing this in the hope that people will see me, hopefully feel that I set a good example, feel intrigued and ask more questions and perhaps one day see the light or should I be standing on a soap box banging a bible all the time?
Suerly I can't be the only person in this position?
No don't get me wrong - I'm not one of these sad people who feels sorry for themselves and has no friends. I am actually incredibly happy, healthy and successful at work and I put it all down to God's goodness. I rejoice at the number of blessings I have received over the years and I have always tried to live my life both at work and at home by Christian principals. My job is very much vocational and I feel I have been called to it. I try to be a good father and husband and I try to go to church each week. Like everyone I keep failing but I pick myself up and keep trying harder.
The problem is that I am surrounded by very few other Christians in my life. My wife didn't have a religious upbringing and remains sceptical although she will often come to church with me, none of her family are Christian, neither are any of my firends at work. I make no secret of my faith and I think I am respected for it but I can't share it with anyone.
So if something bad happens or someone is ill I want to say "let's pray for them" but I don't because no one around me will join with me because they don't understand how I believe that to be so important. Suerly I should just speak out all the time about how I believe praying for someone or something to be so important but they would then all think me weird and back away.
If I want to go to Church because it's Sunday and something I normally do, I often don't because of some other family commitment. I can tell my wife that I would like to go but she says I went last week and this family gathering/event is good for us all to be together (and surely she's right?). She just doesn't understand how important it is for me to make my communion and pray to God regularly. I have tried to explain to her, people at my Church have offered to talk to her but she doesn't get it. I don't want to ram my faith down her throat for fear of putting her off altogether and the fact that she shows an occaisional interest suggests to me that there's the flicker of something there that i don't want to snuff out.
So I keep trying, I keep talking and being open about my faith but I keep failing. Do I just keep on doing this in the hope that people will see me, hopefully feel that I set a good example, feel intrigued and ask more questions and perhaps one day see the light or should I be standing on a soap box banging a bible all the time?
Suerly I can't be the only person in this position?
