Dear God,
I can’t take modern society.
Everything I read in the bible seems to be contradicted by something today. And so many people are just so eager to tell me why you don’t exsist. I’m starting to wonder why I do still believe in you.
They are so much smarter than me and I really have nothing to tell them when they make a point. I just really hope you’re real. Because I’ve been slaving myself over a book that I barely understand. I’m trying to please you because I need you so bad right now, but where are you? I haven’t had much improvement yet. I weigh only 92 pounds, I lost 10 pounds, from throwing up from anxiety. I know you take your time, but is that just a silly excuse they tell us so we can’t doubt you? God works in mysterious ways, well doesn’t life too? Sometimes I just wonder if people’s happiness from turning to God is just power of suggestion. People always say you solve their problems and answer their prayers, they give you credit for the good stuff, well what about the bad?
Why can’t we blame you? I mean you do have the power to do anything, so why are you letting some of the bad guys get all the breaks while innocent people suffer? I need a real reason, not one that comes from some deep moral that I won’t understand. Just, so many people these days need you. And it seems like you haven’t really been there for them. Please help the homeless, and the mistreated, and the starving Africans, everyone who hasn’t seen you in so long and needs you, and when you get done with all of those, please help me.
Nostalgic - USA
April 1st, 2009 at 4:41 pm
You know what. I’ve been in the same boat as you are–and you’re right. It’s hard, so very, very hard. And it’s easy to give in and give up.
But don’t.
Listen to me. This is… well, I guess what I’ve gleaned from my personal reflections. We weren’t meant to be eternally happy here. We’re meant to suffer and be hungry, be hated, be hurt, be depressed, be desperate, be killed. That’s right. Earth is a temporary home for us. Eternal happiness lie beyond this.
These struggles exist in order for us to grow.
So just.. hang on. Do your best to make life better for othesr, and for yourself.
*hugs*
April 3rd, 2009 at 8:08 am
Dear Nostalgic,
You sound like me! I had the same questions you’re asking, and I was lucky enough (or blessed enough?) to find a book that helped me find answers. Faith is about believing strongly when logic can’t support an answer. I too wondered why bad things happen to good people (and vice versa), why suffering comes to little children. How can a loving God let that happen?!
Consider for a moment that the early Catholic Church removed every reference in the original Gospel texts to the notion of reincarnation (except the one big one). Their rationale was that it might cause people to take a free pass to sin in this life… deal with it in the next. Let’s take a different point of view. We all do things of our own free will (part of God’s plan), and sometimes we sin, sometimes we hurt other people. My faith tells me that for all those debts we accumulate (some debts to God, some to other people) will have to be paid back. We pay them back through our own suffering. Maybe not in this life, but eventually. If our ultimate purpose as souls (way beyond just our short lifetimes) is to learn to be truly compassionate, and we keep coming back again and again until we get it right, that seems to fit very well with what Jesus was teaching us.
Like Jesus did, who was by all accounts a perfect and sinless soul, he suffered on the cross in payment of all our sins, we can (to a much lesser degree) pay for debts which are not ours in doing. When I see a suffering child, I think what an awesome sacrifice from an incredibly generous soul. I’m saddened for the child, but in awe of the soul.
God is there for you. When you pray, do like I try to do. Ask for the strength to endure the lessons God has in store for you. Ask for the wisdom to see the lesson, to overcome the challenge and get to the other side of it a better person for having lived through it with grace and with your faith intact. When life hits you in the face with a series really shitty circumstances, consider it God giving you a tall test - you’re up to the task. Have faith in yourself, because God had enough faith in you to give you a hard test. Keep your chin up and gain some confidence from knowing YOU WILL get through it.
Now here’s the book I was talking about. It’s called, “Many Lives, Many Masters” and it’s by Brian L. Weiss. It’s a quick read, and your questions show me that you will not be able to put it down.
cheers, friend!
-mike
April 3rd, 2009 at 6:58 pm
First I want to say you will be in my prayers for the simple fact that God’s light shines through you. Do you know why ? Because you have a honest heart. Most will say don’t ask God why? Like it’s taboo. But God is real and He wants real people not pretenders. When you say you are not sure how to answer people that speak against your belief, I will encourage you to study your Bible deeply~ as if you were studying for a test. Get a Holy Bible,a amplified Bible and a dictionary. Underline the scriptures that speak clearly to you.Hide them in your heart and study the scriptures that specifically relate to your life. So that when you go through trials the Holy Spirit wil put you in remembrance of what you learned and it will keep you in peace. And the scriptures that puzzle your mind: search out the amplified Bible and your dictionary. Ask God to guide you and show you what He wants you to learn. He will. Just believe. Go to God full force with all honesty~He will not turn you away. God uses the weak things of the world to confound the wise. To a “so called” smart person, christianity is not understood because they expect God to react like us humans do. But God’s ways are higher. Which means the lowest people in life are number 1 in His eyes. The last will be first. God does not look at the outward apperance, He looks at the heart. God is love and the devil is hate and the enemy of God. So when bad things happen the devil wants you to blame God. But God is not the fault of bad things. Bad things result from sin and the devil. But prayer changes things and for the homeless, abused,incarcerated, drug addicts, widows, non-believers and depressed~God cares and He loves everyone. He may not take care of them the way we see fit, but His love surrounds them and praying for them~keeps them on God’s mind. You have a beautiful heart and I pray God heals your insides. In the name of Jesus~ I ask that you heal Nostalgic where she or he is broken. Show your presence in Nostalgic’s life in a mighty way~so that Nostalgic will know without a doubt that you are real. Walk with Nostalgic until the end of this age, You said: You will keep those in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You~Help Nostalgic’s mind stay focused on You.Help Nostalgic know that Your word is the final say regardless of how the world disobeys it, Your word is true. I cover her or his life and anxiety in the blood of Jesus. Be Blessed Alwayz!
April 3rd, 2009 at 7:26 pm
Life is still life, with religion involved or not. Shit is still going to happen, good shit and bad shit, sometimes more one than the other. It’s the joy and pain of being human. Some people cry out for god (used loosely) to solve problems, for guidance, for answers. I don’t think that we will get answers from anyone or anything, at least not in the physical life, and I don’t think anyone can honestly say that there is a definitive afterlife so you’re gonna die not really knowing if you think about it. I think that whether you have religion in your life or not, the same shit (good or bad) is going to happen, and it is up to you as the human in charge of your physical body, your thoughts, your soul to change things, or to keep them the same and ask questions that (sorry) are just not gonna be answered, at least not in the way that you’re looking for. Reading the bible or a religious book can work for some people, but yeah, it’s hard to understand in the modern world, no wonder you’re struggling through it. Stay strong and believe in yourself first and foremost, go to friends, a counselor, a therapist, family member, anyone…for your troubles, they’re the ones that can answer you in the way that you’re looking for…they’re the one’s that can help you to love yourself again, everyone needs a crutch to lean on, I just prefer mine in the physical sense out of someone I understand rather than constantly question and doubt.
April 4th, 2009 at 7:44 am
Dear Nostalgic,
If you have doubts, don’t ignore them, explore them. I’m a strong believer in Jesus Christ, but I’ve doubted many times. I thought about my doubts until I found answers that suited me. If I hadn’t thought about them I never would have found the answers. The thing about doubt is once those doubts are gone your faith becomes stronger then ever.
On another note, the only way to please God is to love. Don’t try so hard, just open yourself to love. Do that and, trust me, God will be pleased.
Jesus is my Rock
April 5th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
I have asked these questions time and time again.
Its good to see your not ignoring them,
because when you pretend they’re not there
its eats you alive.
I suggest the book
The Shack
by William P Young.
I’m not sure if the story’s true.
but honestly, who cares?
It answers questions you haven’t even dared ask yet.
Good luck
xx
April 11th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
i am going through the same problem and it never gets any easier. i don’t want to die and go to hell. Is this the fear people are so suppose to have GOD? cause if it is it’s pretty F#@$ up.
i am lost!
April 14th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
Hi Nostalgic - USA
Here’s a little ray of sunshine just for you - I am African and I am NOT STARVING! God takes care of us even through the hard times. We have elections coming up next week and I am going to vote for a better government! There is always always always hope! Most people want to sit around and wait for some or other miracle to prove that God actually exists - That is not how faith works! You have to believe first! Remember God is bigger than anything and anyone. He CAN change your life and the world if you believe enough. You should also never compare your life to others - You have no idea what their journey is about. I know that americans tend to think that Africa is this innocent victim - Well it’s not!!! Africa’s pain is very much self-inflicted - The big sadness about it is that innocent people always suffer along with the guilty ones. Maybe we were never meant to understand all the painfull and hard things in life. I always just give it to God because remember - it’s not really your problem. He will take care of it. We can never pretend to understand His plans for us and the world - all we have to do is TRUST in Him. You should also not be so modest. God knows everything about you - He knows every hair on your head - You may pray to Him to change your life and circumstance - You don’t have to wait for Him to solve all the worlds problems before He gets to you. God loves you and He only wants the best for you. If you believe in Him and let go of everything and just Trust in Him, you will see! I am also waiting for alot of prayers to be answered. In the meantime try to gather what you have learned from your situation so far. What have you learned to appreciate in life? What have you learned about yourself and others? These are the things that life is really about. Its about the Journey not the destination. Remember - we are all going to die someday and then we will go to heaven and we will understand everything. We are being prepared for something alot bigger than this life! I am reading Psalms at the moment - Just take a look at how David prayed to God - He was God’s favourite and He prayed just like us - He also felt frustrated and abandoned at times - but God always came through for him. God wil come through for you too - but at the right time.
PS - Please pray for us - Elections next week!!!
Maryke
April 21st, 2009 at 11:44 pm
It could be that he doesnt exist and the whole thing is just a construction by people to make them feel better, to give them hope (albeit false hope) for people in the past to use as a way to control others to do what they wanted, and in some ways religion is good, hope is good isnt it? feeling that someobody is looking out for you, that life continues on after death and it all means something… but It’s a bit of a big self deception, and I think theres plenty of real tangible reasons to be good, to enjoy life and to be hopefull and optimistic without a belief in god
There’s no god in my life and I’m happy balanced and fairly morally good, everything that happens I know is down to me and the decisions I make and how I deal with the situations life throws up, I never feel the need to blame god or praise god for anything as I can shoulder all the responsibility, I cant say I have been through the same things as you or anything close so I wont say I understand, I dont
People who pray to god are not healthier happier or more resilient, no more than a kid is happier when he believes in the easter bunny, or father christmas… sure it’s a kind of special joy, but it’s not real and it can be equally destructive as helpful to believe in things just for the sake of it making you feel better
But thats just my opinion and my understanding of things, strength, hope and optimisim should and can come from within you and not rely on a perception of power outside of you in the form of gods,
April 22nd, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Don’t waste your life living by other men’s standards. Write your own Bible and live as good a life as you can without any regards to God or Satan. Don’t waste a single moment wishing God exists. Make him exist.
Be the change you want to see in the world. In the end, whether there is a God or not doesn’t matter. Don’t be a follower of contradictory documents written by men to control you. You can be better than any religion if you live your life for your own happiness. Do a good deed to someone you don’t know. Help out your family with random chores.
Don’t be afraid of Satan either. He (like God) isn’t real. Don’t be scared into a religion for fear of “burning in hell”. No all loving God will condemn those who live good lives and don’t believe. And if He does, then I don’t know about you, but I would much rather be in Hell anyway… away from his “divine justice”.
April 26th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
I pray that the eyes of your heart be enlightened–I pray that you have deep revelation of the power of God–I pray that your heart be stirred up in faith with the Son of God–I pray that you be filled over flowing with the power–the spirit–the love of God- I pray that you have supernatural wisdom and understanding in the Knowledge of God and I pray that you desire the pure milk of the Word and that your life yield much fruit and I pray that you are protected and shine wherever you go and that the wisdom that comes from your mouth confounds the “wise”. In the Name of Jesus I pray this–so be it and dear when you get hungry and nothing satisfies–remember to feed on the Word. amen.
May 12th, 2009 at 6:10 am
Dear Nostalgic.
After going to uni, I am supposed to be smart. I also ask the same questions you do, and I think the reason why we will always keep asking these questions is because God is so much greater than us. Why believe in something we are smarter than? He made us, we will never understand him fully until the day we meet him again.
We are taught to believe in what we see, and it isn’t quite “normal” to believe in something we can’t see. But what is normal? Remember that believing is not the same as knowing, so it’s ok to get frustrated and even mad. It is better to be frustrated than to just accept something others told you. Our God is a living God, I think he understands.
Keep being yourself, keep believing.
May 24th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Sometimes God takes things from us so that we can be closer to him so he can empower us in life. but it is not allways God that takes things away from us often it is the devil and the rest of the world.
im praying for you. good luck.
May 29th, 2009 at 12:10 am
hey man, i completely understand where you’re coming from. that was me two years ago, on the fence between christianity and atheism, in spite of being born into a christian family, a great family, and attending church regularly for 18 years. that is, without variation, something every christian experiences. as for me, my faith is constantly being tested by me or someone else, and every time, it emerges a bit stronger, more resolute.
you need to listen to the lectures and forums of some of the most brilliant christian minds out there at the moment, first and foremost, ravi zacharias. he has led forums against the most notable atheist apologetics today, and offers great critical insight into the christian faith.
June 6th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
this life is an exam or us …innocents will pass and the bad guys wil fail.. thats why ther is heaven and hell. So when u suffer for60 years remmber that u will live in heaven for ever
July 14th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Man made the bible
July 29th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
God created us with love, out of love, because of love. When Adam and Eve screwed it up and since we’re descendants of them, of course there’s going to be sins, trouble and chaos. It’s human; we can’t help it. But God provided us a link to a beautiful, perfect, eternal life with Him through Jesus christ.
remember there will always be a struggle in order for a spiritual transformation to occur within you.
stay tough! mwa
July 29th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
P.S. Having faith doesn’t mean abandoning reason. But reason isn’t necessarily based on science or logic. Back in the older days, they didn’t believe the earth was round and found it preposterous when someone suggested it wasn’t flat.
praying that you will encounter God, not as just a routine but through a relationship with Him
lots of love xxx
November 13th, 2009 at 2:35 am
i´m praying for you!!
ARRIBA EL ANIMO, DIOS NUNCA NOS DARA MAS CARGA DE LA QUE NO PODAMOS LLEVAR
BLESS!!