Single Vocation?

[Montie_Claunch]

Hey guys,

I am thinking that I am called to the single life. I was wondering what do to do if one of those temptations hits? I can’t stand baseball. And I have never been a confrontational person. I’m not good at dealing with things head on. More used to and good at going in the back door on things. What do you think I should do? Thanks and God bless.

 

[Reformed_Rob]

Hey guys,

I am thinking that I am called to the single life. I was wondering what do to do if one of those temptations hits? I can’t stand baseball. And I have never been a confrontational person. I’m not good at dealing with things head on. More used to and good at going in the back door on things. What do you think I should do? Thanks and God bless.

I don’t think baseball is sinful in and of itself. But you could live out a vocation to singlehood and not have to play on a baseball team. I think. And you may not even ever have to watch a baseball game if you didn’t want to.

But maybe I totally missed your point or I am more ignorant about vocations (and baseball) than I initially thought!

 

[exoflare]

Hey guys,

I am thinking that I am called to the single life. I was wondering what do to do if one of those temptations hits? I can’t stand baseball.

Don’t remind me… :crying:

The only thing I can say for sure, is to always lose yourself in something productive. Sometimes it isn’t easy though.

 

[Montie_Claunch]

I don’t think baseball is sinful in and of itself. But you could live out a vocation to singlehood and not have to play on a baseball team. I think. And you may not even ever have to watch a baseball game if you didn’t want to.

But maybe I totally missed your point or I am more ignorant about vocations (and baseball) than I initially thought!

I didn’t mean baseball like that. You ever hear, when a bad thought pops into your head, just think about baseball and it goes away.

 

[scylla]

I am a married man and as such even I have temptation since I work around other women. We are all called to lives of chastity, thought there is a difference in marriage and single life.

It might be a bad thought but sometimes I think it would be simpler if I were single even as happily married as I am. But I cannot dedicate myself to God as a married man as a priest or religious does, yet my vocation now lies in married life.

Temptation to do bad is not just for those who are single and it takes time to overcome some tendancies and develop a chaste mind. It is a day by day thing not something you look at your life as. In other words if you take everything a day at a time eventually you end up passing years amazingly more chaste than before. If you think in your mind that you will dedicate years without looking at the days there is a good chance of despair kicking in. Sin is pretty tempting.

Most of us are addicts of some sort or other in a sense and it is easy to fall off the wagon if we don’t look at things a day at a time.

You might not like baseball, but what do you really like? What do you enjoy and what is something you have a talent for?
Music?
Study?
Art?
Sports?
What can occupy your mind when it wanders down to places it shouldn’t go?

In Christ
Scylla

 

[Reformed_Rob]

I didn’t mean baseball like that. You ever hear, when a bad thought pops into your head, just think about baseball and it goes away.

Oh, gotcha! No, I’ve never heard of that, Montie!

We all wish it were that easy, slam, bad thoughts gone out over the right field wall!

I’m not telling you anything you don’t know…but I’ll tell you! It always helps I think to be told, probably you’ll get told a dozen good things here on this thread.

My :twocents:… It’s not easy to consistently live chastely…chastly, chaste! It’s a battle that requires effort, discipline, and a good dose of happiness in one’s life. That is, have a joyful spirit about you. Think holy thoughts, pray the Rosary, and pray when you feel temptation. Read books about chastity, seek to be filled with grace. But along with that, have something in your life that productively occupies your time.

You may perhaps consider the situations you are in or attitudes that precede bad thoughts. I personally picture it as like there are these embers in my consciousness that when certain things precipitate, this flame is ignited, and certain embers then burn, and, well, it’s a matter of redirecting the flame so it can burn good embers, and ignite a fire for something good.

Like I said, not easy!

 

[rwoehmke]

The nice thing about feeling called to the single life is that, unless you take solemn vows of some sort, you preserves the option of changing your mind for consecrated life, the priesthood, or even marriage. I know a number of people that live as singles and they are both happy and productive.

 

[silverwings_88]

"And the eunuch, that hath not wrought iniquity with his hands, nor thought wicked things against God: for the precious gift of faith shall be given to him, and a most acceptable lot in the temple of God.

** For the fruit of good labours is glorious, and the root of wisdom never faileth."**

** Wisdom 3:14-15**

God bless you on your single vocation. Any vocation is never easy, whether it is through Single Life, Holy Orders or Holy Matrimony.

Every time I have temptations of leaving my single vocation, I sing. I may not be a great singer, but I sing about God because it reminds me of my relationship with Him. I practice Bhakti Yoga for Jesus.

That is, I devote my entire life to Jesus and God so that I can be in Him and Him in Me. “I am my beloved’s, and his desire is for me.” Allegorically, He is my Father, Mother, Son, Daughter, Brother, Sister, Husband and Wife, Lover and Friend.

When you realise why you are on this Vocation, it is no longer that God called you on it, but rather that you are in dedication to the Will of Jesus alone. When you think and ponder and contemplate of His immense Love for you, and that He wishes the best for you, then all things fade away.

Jesus is our Reality, and all illusion disappears, because the Embodiment of Love covers and removes all pains, hurts, and sins.

I pray for you to have Strength. Amen to you!

Pax! Kevyn.

 

[mosher]

Hey guys,

I am thinking that I am called to the single life. I was wondering what do to do if one of those temptations hits? I can’t stand baseball. And I have never been a confrontational person. I’m not good at dealing with things head on. More used to and good at going in the back door on things. What do you think I should do? Thanks and God bless.

Funny about the baseball thing. You know the reason why they say that is because many find baseball so boring that it will fill you with enough boredom to overpower you concupiscence. I think this is silly because I like baseball.

Anyway, all I can tell you is that I personally have tried many different things to help me with lust. I had tried the rosary, reading scripture, reading the Summa, staying up so late that I am exhausted that I fall asleep at once. However, for me and my own struggle with lust and the manifestation of lust I have only found that one thing works for me. Now, when I go to bed or if I am plagued with a thought of lust in the day I have learned to direct me imagination to the image of Jesus. So, now before a problem ever happens I am going to sleep contemplating the face of Jesus. This, for me, has been my salvation. During the day if I get a thought of lust in my mind that I can’t root out quickly I do the same thing, I turn to Jesus and picture Him looking at me and I at Him and peace comes quickly.