Non-Catholic co-worker always happy and nice?

dizzy_dave · May 20, 2005

I work in a small business with all Catholics (fallen away) and one lady from the Assemblies of God. She is always in a good mood, never says anything bad about anybody and doesn’t like to tell lies. On the other hand, I am Catholic, not too happy and not very friendly at all. I am wondering if I am in the right religion then why am I so negative and not too nice to others. What could be the problem here? Any ideas? Thank you!

DeFide · May 20, 2005

dizzy_dave:

Who do you think Jesus came for, if not for sinners like you and me?
Luke 5:32
I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

*Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy. :gopray2:

*

tkdnick · May 20, 2005

dizzy_dave:

Could just be personality types. Could be that she is pretending. Could be that you are struggling with your faith right now. Could be that you’re under a lot of stress and she isn’t. Could be lots of things.

scylla · May 20, 2005

I have seen this sort of thing also, your non-catholic co-worker probably has a good attitude for many reasons. I have a muslim friend , who is a real estate agent and has such a good heart, very nice and seems very content. He is well educated and very articulate. Does this mean that all the Christians are wrong?

I am Catholic, I am extremely content, confident and comfortable in my faith. If I discuss it with my sister-in-law who is an evangelical Christian, there is a tension that comes off of her that you can cut with a knife. Does that prove I am right? I think I am right but not because of how we act or feel when we are around each other.

I was happy, but searching before I came to the Catholic Church, but now I am happy, relaxed and comfortable. My relationship with Jesus Christ brings the comfort, some people do find it outside the Catholic faith, finding your own comfort level of faith doesn’t make it the truth, or else anything is the truth as long as it feels good. I think that is called relativism, and leads to a very superficial faith. I can go to a Church that has great music, my friends at work, a feel good Church. Does that make it true or just make my faith easy and pleasing to me.

I firmly believe I am in the Church that Jesus Christ founded, if you are not finding a comfort with your faith, look to your relationship with Jesus, see if you are just going through the motions and not realizing the beauty of God, what He has done for you, the riches of His Church, how you can use the fullness of the faith to deepen your relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ.

In Christ
Scylla

Theodora · May 20, 2005

I believe that some people are just born with a happier disposition than others. I have a Baptist friend. Everybody in the office knows her as being upbeat and always cheerful. I notice that besides this she has a high-energy level. I imagine that when you feel good physically, you’ll naturally project a happy-person image.

The ones to be really admired are the ones who are always cheerful regardless of what setbacks occur in their lives.

Franze · May 20, 2005

Good mood is very important, we need many times laugh more, and be more faithful to God and don´t worry so much. But Dizzy Dave, there are people and people.

catsrus · May 20, 2005

It’s a personality thing. As** Franz **said

One of the most difficult, lying, nasty people I ever worked with was also a member of the assemblies of God. And, for that matter, one of the kindest, most thoughtful people I ever worked with was an ex-mormon practiceing nothing.
Happiness and kindness come from within. It doesn’t matter what Church one goes to or doesn’t.

Eden · May 20, 2005

I can’t really make a judgment on this particular person because I don’t know her. But it is not really healthy to not experience a full range of emotions. If you read the lives of the saints, you could say they were at peace, but not always “happy”. I have actually known someone like this and it turned out that they were actually the victim of abuse and were only projecting the outward image of “happiness”. You never really know what’s in someone’s heart. If you are looking for a meditation to inspire peace and happiness in your soul, why not “The Beatitudes”?

**The Beatitudes - an invitation to happiness **

The Beatitudes are at the heart of Jesus’ preaching. They show us what will really make us happy.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward is great in heaven.

Matthew 5:13-12

Robert_in_SD · May 20, 2005

dizzy_dave:

Just an observation, but…
Maybe it’s your job and not your religion.

Church_Militant · May 20, 2005

dizzy_dave:

Hey Dizzy D,
One thing you will find is that A/G people run on emotions in a big way. Their services are highly emotional, (well Mass is for me too, but that’s just me). Have you been to confession in a while? If you’re feeling guilty, you could be showing it at work and in your life.

It’s not that you’re in the wrong religion, it’s that you need more of it. Wanna start over again in your life? Go for a plenary indulgence by reading your Bible for 30 minutes as spiritual reading, then going to confession and then communion. That’s what it takes and then you must realize that you just started over like on the day you were baptized. Talk about cleaning up your act!
Pax tecum,

Katie1723 · May 20, 2005

Sometimes you must make a conscious decision to be happy., even if you don’t necessarily feel that way. As far as some coworkers being happier than others, let me tell you of my experience in a case such as this. I work with someone who is so cheerful that sometimes I just feel like smacking the “you know what” out of her. I tried ignoring her hoping she would go away, but instead my displeasure must have showed because she asked me “why I didn’t like her”. Day was done and I didn’t have to work with her for a week.Goody!!n Goody!! The two days I was dreading came and I asked the Lord to help me “endure” this. I prayed and prayed and I decided to be just like her and smile at EVERYTHING…ALL DAY. Lo and Behold, by the second day I was no longer “acting” but I felt rather good about working with the person I least wanted to be with. We had a great day and when I left today I thanked her for all the “fun”. So you see…it is possible to turn a frown into a smile!!
~ Kathy ~

MariaG · May 20, 2005

So True!

If I did not know the truth of the Catholic Church, I would still be in the AoG. I am an emotional person and CM is completely correct, people there tend to run on emotions. They also tend to “walk the walk” which is very appealing when compared to many others.

But that does not mean you can’t find the same thing in a Catholic Church. If the emotion part appeals to you, try to find a Charasmatic Catholic Church in your area. But in the end, I would still stick with a old hymns played on an organ at a snails pace over upbeat anything that does not have the Real Presence of Christ (in fact, that is the very choice I made

).

Joyfulness is just a choice. I can choose to be joyful in spite of my circumstances. It does not mean I have to be happy, but I can rest in the peace and joy of the Lord no matter what.

For example, I can still be joyful when illness strikes my family. In fact, just recently my husband had a cancer scare. For about 4 days, we thought there was a good possiblilty he had colon cancer, the only bad genetic trait he has. I obviously was not happy at all about it, but through it I found the joy and loving care of the Lord. I was able to rest in peace and pray for His will to be done.

We can choose to be joyful. Your co-worker has discovered this. You don’t have to be AoG to choose to rest in the peace, love and joy of the Lord!

God Bless,
Maria

p.s.

CM, you and your mom are still in my prayers. Take care.

reen12 · May 21, 2005

Hi, dizzy_dave,

I hear you!!

There’s a difference between knowing something and

internalizing it, I’ve found.

One day it struck me: The good news really is good news.

Maybe that’s why your co-worker is cheerful. She
gets that the gospel is good news.

I’m indebted to another poster on another thread
for the following:

gud speil is German for “good news”= gospel

Personally, I wish we’d replace the word “gospel”
and come right out and say:
“This is a reading of the Good News from
Luke or Matthew.”

Best,
reen12

Mickey · May 21, 2005

Church Militant:

Yes take CM’s advice. You will feel light as a feather and you will be shining like the sun! I guarantee it!

slinky1882 · May 22, 2005

dizzy_dave:

Hmmm, just a note out of curiosity. How are the fallen away Catholics??? Are they dim in comparison to this lady??? As a Catholic, no one should tell lies or gossip or speak about harm others. This isn’t unique to Assemblies of God. All Christians are called to follow those precepts even Jews and Islams try to do as much. In fact, the two traits listed are almost universally recognized by individuals of all faiths (even many atheists and agnostics). A lot can depend on personality, but the traits you listed are not unique to AOG. Feelings are not the measure of Faith. May God grant us the Grace to Love through Mercy and Justice and be a light to the world. Thanks and God Bless.

Xavier · May 24, 2005

dizzy_dave:

Could be she has a personal relationship with God.

Zooey · May 24, 2005

Might not the “(fallen away)” part be the key? If a Christian–Catholic, Assemblies of God, Methodist, whatever–is fallen away from faith, of course they are not happy. The AG lady is probably actively working at practicing her faith…God bless.

tm30 · May 24, 2005

God tests those he loves. We are purified with fire. If life is hunky-dory, a reality check is in order. Not to be a pessimist, but we’re here to carry our crosses, not our lolipops. If this woman is carrying her cross with joy, she is blessed. If she’s joyful because she is unburdened by trial and tribulation (if she has it “easy”), I wouldn’t lose any sleep.

Keep your eyes on Christ. Our path is to Calvary. Never forget that.

gelsbern · May 24, 2005

Could be that she doesn’t suffer from trials and tribulations because Satan has her in his grasp already.

Satan goes after the faithful, he ignores he already has.

piercina · May 24, 2005

Some people think that just because you are in the right religion, your life is supposed to be all peachy-Jesus STARTED the right religion and He got nailed to a cross! we all underestimate the power of suffering. maybe God is letting you feel the way you do because He wants you to strive to be a better person. just the fact that your unfriendliness has occurred to you and you are looking for solutions by asking on this forum for a solution shows that God is working in you to become a better person! Now-go be friendly and happy!!

Non-Catholic co-worker always happy and nice?

dizzy_dave

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DeFide

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tkdnick

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