Going to go insane

[george92]

I’m 21. I have no idea what the future holds for me. I can only see one day at a time. I pray every day but it feels like God doesn’t hear me… School is as hard as ever and starting to question whether I really like it…It feels like i’ve been stuck in this rut for a long time now…its bad enough struggling with porn but i do fight valiantly…All my friends are drifting apart and am i generally alone a lot…i just don’t what to do

i’d appreciate any advice or scripture thank you!

 

[sadpanda2]

I’m 21. I have no idea what the future holds for me. I can only see one day at a time. I pray every day but it feels like God doesn’t hear me… School is as hard as ever and starting to question whether I really like it…It feels like i’ve been stuck in this rut for a long time now…its bad enough struggling with porn but i do fight valiantly…All my friends are drifting apart and am i generally alone a lot…i just don’t what to do

i’d appreciate any advice or scripture thank you!

Hello George,

All I can give you is life experience. When I was your age, I was applying to and getting into graduate programs in my field of choice. I then went to a school, got a doctorate, turned 28, went on to a postdoctorate, and about the time I turned 30 I didn’t love it anymore.

Wow! All that time invested and for what? Several months after that I left my job, was unemployed for a number of months, took a job related to my field of study that underpaid and that I didn’t like, and then finally one day, after a few years in the wilderness, I made a career change and am finally happy with what I’m doing.

My advice is to do one of two things: (a) realize that work is what you do to sustain yourself and gives you the money and time to do what you are actually passionate about, or (b) change gears and try to make a career of something you DO love. Either is a reasonable way to proceed.

That being said, go to confession often, receive the Eucharist, say the Rosary, and know and trust that God is there, is watching, is active in your life and does indeed have a great plan for you. Some days this is easier than others. But your life has meaning and one day you will look back and say, Wow! It’s so clear now!

Until then you are in my prayers. God bless you.

 

[hazcompat]

Sorry for your distress. Maybe Jesus wants you to work for him? How is your prayer life?

It is morally impossible for him who neglects meditation to live without sin. - St Alphonsus Ligouri

Bartunek, Fr John (2011-05-17). The Better Part: A Christ-Centered Resource for Personal Prayer (Kindle Locations 365-366). Catholic Spiritual Direction. Kindle Edition.

Try more frequent confession and communion. Talk with a counselor or confessor. I’ll keep you in my prayers. God bless.

Peace

 

[Ben087]

Isaiah 53:3 - He was despised and rejected–a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.

Jeremiah 29:11- For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Jeremiah 31:3- The Lord appeared from of old to me [Israel], saying, Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn you and continued My faithfulness to you.

 

[Cricket2]

George:

Don’t go insane. No one knows what tomorrow holds. And you are still young. If you feel like your in a rut, maybe all you need to do is see an academic counselor to figure out if there is a second degree option or a minor to go with the one you are currently doing.

Don’t be shocked at this stage of things. I changed degrees after two years. And 20 years down the road needed to go for a Masters in a whole other field to keep up with employment demands. Take some time to review things you have enjoyed doing, and to figure out other interests. Don’t be afraid to work at just anything to make ends meet and figure stuff out for a while.

You could even take a semester off. Work a couple of jobs and save money while you research the possibilities. Or you could try part-time. Just making a little change might shake up that “in a rut” feeling and help you discern things better. Why you could even look into doing missionary work for a year or two and then return to school.

All I am trying to say is don’t lock yourself into one set of ideas or spend too much time trying to figure out the future. There is no such thing as perfect planning. Just prepare as much as you can, work hard, be honest and of course keep the Faith. Pray often, go to confession and avoid the things that can get you in trouble.

Peace in Christ.

 

[Ben087]

Psalm 69

1 Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in the miry depths,
where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
the floods engulf me.
3 I am worn out calling for help;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,
looking for my God.
4 Those who hate me without reason
outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause,
those who seek to destroy me.
I am forced to restore
what I did not steal.
5 You, God, know my folly;
my guilt is not hidden from you.
6 Lord, the Lord Almighty,
may those who hope in you
not be disgraced because of me;
God of Israel,
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me.
7 For I endure scorn for your sake,
and shame covers my face.
8 I am a foreigner to my own family,
a stranger to my own mother’s children;
9 for zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
10 When I weep and fast,
I must endure scorn;
11 when I put on sackcloth,
people make sport of me.
12 Those who sit at the gate mock me,
and I am the song of the drunkards.
13 But I pray to you, Lord,
in the time of your favor;
in your great love, O God,
answer me with your sure salvation.
14 Rescue me from the mire,
do not let me sink;
deliver me from those who hate me,
from the deep waters.
15 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me
or the depths swallow me up
or the pit close its mouth over me.
16 Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love;
in your great mercy turn to me.
17 Do not hide your face from your servant;
answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
18 Come near and rescue me;
deliver me because of my foes.
19 You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed;
all my enemies are before you.
20 Scorn has broken my heart
and has left me helpless;
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
for comforters, but I found none.
21 They put gall in my food
and gave me vinegar for my thirst.
22 May the table set before them become a snare;
may it become retribution and** a trap.
23 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.
24 Pour out your wrath on them;
let your fierce anger overtake them.
25 May their place be deserted;
let there be no one to dwell in their tents.
26 For they persecute those you wound
and talk about the pain of those you hurt.
27 Charge them with crime upon crime;
do not let them share in your salvation.
28 May they be blotted out of the book of life
and not be listed with the righteous.
29 But as for me, afflicted and in pain—
may your salvation, God, protect me.
30 I will praise God’s name in song
and glorify him with thanksgiving.
31 This will please the Lord more than an ox,
more than a bull with its horns and hooves.
32 The poor will see and be glad—
you who seek God, may your hearts live!
33 The Lord hears the needy
and does not despise his captive people.
34 Let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and all that move in them,
35 for God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
Then people will settle there and possess it;
36 the children of his servants will inherit it,
and those who love his name will dwell there**