Just can't seem to work up reason to praise Jesus

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rbilleaud

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I have an issue that really has me spiritually troubled. I’m a lapsed Catholic. I still adhere to the Christian faith but it’s been a while since I’ve actually been to mass. I won’t go into the reasons here, and that’s an issue for another post, but this issue is deeper seated. Overall, I’ve been a pretty lucky/blessed guy, I’ve been married for 23 years and have 4 great kids. They’ve all been good kids, never been in trouble with drugs or the law or anything like that. I’ve had a series of good jobs. I’m not rich by any stretch, but I do OK and while I’ve had minor financial issues, who hasn’t? Even with all of this going for me, we seem to run into stretches of bad luck. Whether it’s cars breaking down or computers or phones or medical issues, they are all relatively minor, but it’s like if it’s not one thing, it’s another. Like I may get a financial windfall, like getting more money back on my taxes than I expected and my car breaks down. Just when things seem to be getting better, something happens. This causes me to question my faith or blame God. I try to work up the enthusiasm to praise God and Jesus but I just can’t do it. I realize I’m blessed for all the good things I have, but can’t stop thinking about the problems and how I’m going to deal with them and how God could allow these things to happen to me. I realize it’s selfish when lots of people have REAL problems, but I can’t help the way I feel. This may be more of an issue for a licensed therapist - like I have the money for that - but it really is just as much an issue of faith.
 
rbilleaud said:
This may be more of an issue for a licensed therapist - like I have the money for that - but it really is just as much an issue of faith.
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So see a priest and a therapist. Check with your health insurance on mental health options and copays.
 
Have you ever studied the Psalms?

I have had a real challenge understanding and practicing praise as part of my spiritual life, so this year, I have decided to really study Psalms. I read one Psalms each day, carefully and slowly. Then I go back and use a pencil to underline or make little notes in my Bible around the most striking verses. Then, on a separate sheet of paper, I copy the most beautiful praise verse and give its reference. I have pages of these verses now in my little prayer binder. It is wonderful to go back and review and practice them.

It changes your heart from the inside out, to learn from King David how to praise God. David is a man after God’s own heart, so read his beautiful Psalms and ask God to transform your heart into one full of praise and thanksgiving.

God bless!

Edited to add: I like to think of my obstacles and setbacks as little reminders to stop and pray. Sometimes when life is going along merrily, it is too easy to forget prayer and how much God is blessing me. It can take a setback to get my mind and heart in the right disposition again. Looking at it as a mercy, to be reminded how dependent I am upon a loving God who watches me always and is doing everything He can to bring me to eternal happiness with Him is a more productive way for me to approach those setbacks and trials than for me to fear or worry. I hope this has helped you.
 
My family has turned against me

I have been tortured, bound and beaten within an inch of my life by hostile people who mocked me while they did it.

I’ve had to live in a tent for a solid year because of my poverty

I’ve had my son taken from me by his mother who decided it was a good idea to split.

…and I’m still on my knees every sunday praising and worshipping God. What’s your excuse?
 
People need to get over this “feelings kick”. I don’t FEEL like it. I don’t FEEL anything. What’s it FEEL like?

I don’t care what you FEEL like. I’ll tell ya what it LOOKS like…how about that?

It looks like you praising GOD for who he is, going to Church and being darn grateful for the blessings you already know you have. :rolleyes: Regardless of what one FEEL like.
 
Just think of where you would have been had you not gotten the bigger refund than expected and be grateful for that. We have to expect low times as well as high times. This is probably one of the laws of the universe/nature.
Allow a few moments before each meal if possible to think of where the food came from and who(m?) was involved in it being on your table to enjoy. This should help to become more aware and as a result expressing gratefulness more easily in other areas of life as well. Blessings to you and yours.
 
Polluted,
May you be filled with loving kindness. May you be well. May you be peaceful and at ease. May you be happy. Blessings to you and yours.
 
OP, do you think you might be dealing with some mild depression or maybe even more serious depression. Apathy and lack of feeling can actually be a sign. Of course we cannot diagnose here, but perhaps even a check up with your regular physician would be helpful. Your MD can give a referral for some counseling.
 
rbilleaud said:
Like I may get a financial windfall, like getting more money back on my taxes than I expected and my car breaks down.
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I have no special talent as a therapist so I can not help you there.

But I am getting better at prayer so I prayed that God will open your eyes as he has open mine.

Being self employed I am in a similar situation. When it comes to money I feel like I am on a ship in the middle of the Atlantic during hurricane season, so many ups and downs quite often I feel like throwing up.

I use to say this exact same phrase on a monthly basis, and so I don’t have to go to confession tomorrow, I have to be honest this thought does still enter my mind every now and then. It wasn’t until one day I came to notice how often this was happening to me and it was getting harder and harder for me to explain why? That is when I started to see the big picture. The crisis didn’t occur because I was starting to get ahead and had bad luck, it was God taking care of me before the crisis occurred.

I don’t want to pollute this board with stories but some of my eye opening experience are just short of a miracle in my book.

God Bless
 
Polluted said:
People need to get over this “feelings kick”. I don’t FEEL like it. I don’t FEEL anything. What’s it FEEL like?

I don’t care what you FEEL like. I’ll tell ya what it LOOKS like…how about that?

It looks like you praising GOD for who he is, going to Church and being darn grateful for the blessings you already know you have. :rolleyes: Regardless of what one FEEL like.
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A little more blunt than I would have put it, but basically yes. Faith has nothing to do with how you feel. It is a rational process (see Vatican I for more on this). Go to Mass on Sunday and participate. And then go back next Sunday. No one is expecting you to feel constantly joyful and happy in your life: you really can not control your feelings. You can control your actions. If your faith is weak, fake it till you make it.
 
Polluted said:
People need to get over this “feelings kick”. I don’t FEEL like it. I don’t FEEL anything. What’s it FEEL like?

I don’t care what you FEEL like. I’ll tell ya what it LOOKS like…how about that?

It looks like you praising GOD for who he is, going to Church and being darn grateful for the blessings you already know you have. :rolleyes: Regardless of what one FEEL like.
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+1

In addition, you acknowledge that you have been given much, but perhaps you need to ask God for one thing more- a grateful heart.

Do you not see how God is showering you with blessings? He gave you a bigger tax refund for the car that would break down, for example. You are choosing to look at everything in your life through a negative lens if you cannot see how blessed your life is.
 
MT1926 said:
I have no special talent as a therapist so I can not help you there.

But I am getting better at prayer so I prayed that God will open your eyes as he has open mine.

Being self employed I am in a similar situation. When it comes to money I feel like I am on a ship in the middle of the Atlantic during hurricane season, so many ups and downs quite often I feel like throwing up.

I use to say this exact same phrase on a monthly basis, and so I don’t have to go to confession tomorrow, I have to be honest this thought does still enter my mind every now and then. It wasn’t until one day I came to notice how often this was happening to me and it was getting harder and harder for me to explain why? That is when I started to see the big picture. The crisis didn’t occur because I was starting to get ahead and had bad luck, it was God taking care of me before the crisis occurred.

I don’t want to pollute this board with stories but some of my eye opening experience are just short of a miracle in my book.

God Bless
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Exactly.

If one receives money before the car breaks down or the air conditioning unit breaks - that’s a miracle in my book!

I am with you. I could mention numerous times when God saved me and my family from some serious, and not-so-serious, situations. I marvel at them really.
 
“Dear Lord, if this is how You treat Your friends, it is no wonder You have so few!”
~ Said by St. Teresa of Ávila after she was bucked off her horse into a river on the way to visit one of her monasteries

Pour your heart out to the Lord honestly. He can take it.

Notice, too, that St. Teresa still had her sense of humor when adversity struck. If yours has abandoned you, that is the time to seek outside support. (The Lord sent them out two-by-two instead of alone for a reason.)
 
rbilleaud said:
I have an issue that really has me spiritually troubled. I’m a lapsed Catholic. I still adhere to the Christian faith but it’s been a while since I’ve actually been to mass. I won’t go into the reasons here, and that’s an issue for another post, but this issue is deeper seated. Overall, I’ve been a pretty lucky/blessed guy, I’ve been married for 23 years and have 4 great kids. They’ve all been good kids, never been in trouble with drugs or the law or anything like that. I’ve had a series of good jobs. I’m not rich by any stretch, but I do OK and while I’ve had minor financial issues, who hasn’t? Even with all of this going for me, we seem to run into stretches of bad luck. Whether it’s cars breaking down or computers or phones or medical issues, they are all relatively minor, but it’s like if it’s not one thing, it’s another. Like I may get a financial windfall, like getting more money back on my taxes than I expected and my car breaks down. Just when things seem to be getting better, something happens. This causes me to question my faith or blame God. I try to work up the enthusiasm to praise God and Jesus but I just can’t do it. I realize I’m blessed for all the good things I have, but can’t stop thinking about the problems and how I’m going to deal with them and how God could allow these things to happen to me. I realize it’s selfish when lots of people have REAL problems, but I can’t help the way I feel. This may be more of an issue for a licensed therapist - like I have the money for that - but it really is just as much an issue of faith.
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Definitely go speak with a doctor/therapist just to rule out any underlying problems.

I have to tell you, your story could be ours. Four great kids, nice house, money seems to be there when we need it…then bam! Life has thrown us some serious curve balls!

We have been dealing non-stop with much bigger issues than we used to and I long for the days when petty annoyances were our topic of conversation.

I thank God everyday for all of the problems we are having because we have learned so much from them. We are far more sensitive to the needs of others and we no longer take anything for granted. Suffering is what unites us to all of humanity.

I agree with other posters that have said to thank God for the car when it starts, the surgeon doing your surgery, the dental care that people in third world countries will never have…Right now we are without heat on our main floor and they can’t fix it until tomorrow. I can only imagine how cold the homeless are right now!

Our troubles can really help us to empathize with others and to motivate us to want to help alleviate the sufferings of others. God knows exactly what we need to achieve this goal. Go with it! 🙂
 
1ke said:
OP, do you think you might be dealing with some mild depression or maybe even more serious depression. Apathy and lack of feeling can actually be a sign. Of course we cannot diagnose here, but perhaps even a check up with your regular physician would be helpful. Your MD can give a referral for some counseling.
Click to expand...
At least a self-test for depression is a reasonable step. There are many on the internet written by health care professionals and intended to help people decide if they need to be screened professionally. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2244288/

If you take the test, it says you don’t need to be seen, and something in your gut still says, “Something is not right here,” by all means get a real professional opinion, OP. We are mainly saying that you ought to take the possibility that you are suffering from depression or some other treatable condition seriously, because your emotions don’t match what you believe they ought to be in your circumstances. If that is one of your issues, it can really get in the way of coping effectively with the real trials you have to face.

You wouldn’t try to build a house with tools that hadn’t been kept up. The effort it takes to see that you are as prepared as possible to tackle your problems is very much worthwhile.
 
lax16 said:
I thank God everyday for all of the problems we are having because we have learned so much from them. We are far more sensitive to the needs of others and we no longer take anything for granted. Suffering is what unites us to all of humanity.
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As soon as I read your response it reminded me of a song my wife gave me years ago when I was going through some depression.

youtube.com/watch?v=pf2zbmMco28
 
peter26 said:
… No one is expecting you to feel constantly joyful and happy in your life: you really can not control your feelings. You can control your actions. …
Click to expand...
Praise isn’t happiness.

Maybe “sheepishness” about any previous ungratefulness accompanies the start of gratefulness.

I get ruder and ruder shocks about myself as I go.

Thanksgiving is in a sense tactical (and very important), and praise is strategic, marvelling at the Lord for placing us in a place and time and amongst people who can model Christian belief for us, and among whom we can begin modelling Christian belief in turn. (Researching family history turns up fascinating things about this.)

I second the recommendation of the Psalms.
 
rbilleaud said:
I have an issue that really has me spiritually troubled. I’m a lapsed Catholic. I still adhere to the Christian faith but it’s been a while since I’ve actually been to mass. I won’t go into the reasons here, and that’s an issue for another post, but this issue is deeper seated. Overall, I’ve been a pretty lucky/blessed guy, I’ve been married for 23 years and have 4 great kids. They’ve all been good kids, never been in trouble with drugs or the law or anything like that. I’ve had a series of good jobs. I’m not rich by any stretch, but I do OK and while I’ve had minor financial issues, who hasn’t? Even with all of this going for me, we seem to run into stretches of bad luck. Whether it’s cars breaking down or computers or phones or medical issues, they are all relatively minor, but it’s like if it’s not one thing, it’s another. Like I may get a financial windfall, like getting more money back on my taxes than I expected and my car breaks down. Just when things seem to be getting better, something happens. This causes me to question my faith or blame God. I try to work up the enthusiasm to praise God and Jesus but I just can’t do it. I realize I’m blessed for all the good things I have, but can’t stop thinking about the problems and how I’m going to deal with them and how God could allow these things to happen to me. I realize it’s selfish when lots of people have REAL problems, but I can’t help the way I feel. This may be more of an issue for a licensed therapist - like I have the money for that - but it really is just as much an issue of faith.
Click to expand...
Why not look at God as having provided the financial windfall to meet a need that was coming?

Maybe you should speak to a priest and maybe he can recommend a spiritual director, if he himself can not be one to you, or even some good spiritual books to help you.
 
The Hebrews have a prayer of THANKSGIVING
during the Passover celebration called the Dayenu
prayer, it goes something like this:
“It would have been enough that You, O God
delivered us from Egypt but You parted the
Red Sea for us.
It would have been enough, O Lord
that you parted the Red Sea but You
gave us Manna in the desert,
It would have been enough, O Lord
that You gave us Manna in the desert
but You led us with a pillar of cloud
by day and a pillar of fire by night…”
and so on, it is a welling up of gratefulness
for ALL the blessings that the Lord has
showered upon us and makes us offer
a “sacrifice of praise”.
We, too, can make up our own Dayenu
Praise prayer for our lives, how God has
over and over and over again blessed us
with His bountiful care!!
 
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