Sometimes I don't feel like I'm going to heaven

[ukdal1]

Sometimes I don’t feel like I’m saved and going to heaven, even though I know Jesus died for my sins and I’m repentant of my sins and I pray every day ALL the time. I started going to RCIA about 2 months ago and I’ve never been more secure in knowing I am where I’m supposed to be in my life. Everything is going great in my life, I might be getting offered a job at a place I would love to work at for $3-4 more an hour with better benefits. I have a BEAUTIFUL wife and 3 handsome little boys. But I just feel down and sometimes I dont feel like things matter sometimes…Is God testing my faith or is the devil trying to get at me? Anybody else here ever go through this?

 

[kell0618]

I’ll pray for you you during your current struggles.

None of us is **saved **yet, and the journey of faith continues until the close the casket. I never feel worthy of Heaven, though I pray I will go there someday. Until then, I strive to be the very best Christian I can be.

 

[lavalamp]

Well, its a good thing that feelings do not represent reality. Sometimes we feel on top of the world or sometimes we feel worthless. Even Christ on the Cross suffered similar to what you suffer “My God, my God why have you forsaken me.” This is, while not the best from your point of view shows us why it is important to have faith. And Hope, pray for hope. You said yourself, you have many blessings to be thankful for. If God has given you these things, which are small potatoes compared with your salvation, how much more will he give you the strength you need to grow closer to him, even if you feel no progress. You are in my prayers

 

[BLB_Oregon]

I’m sorry to hear that you are feeling so low.

You might be depressed (physically/psychologically) or you might be going through a period of spiritual dryness, as essentially all of the saints did at one time or another, or you might even be ignoring some third path you are called to take which some other concern keeps you from seriously considering. Ignoring calls is hard on the soul. It could be many things like that.

Feeling as if “things don’t matter” when you have many objectively good things going on in your life may be a sign of depression. It is certainly a sign that you should seek outside counsel and support…even Jesus had his Simon of Cyrene.

If you think you may have depression, please see a doctor about it. You have a moral responsibility to take care of your body. I get mild depression from time to time, and I find that a regime of getting more sleep, eating more carefully, and being more diligent about getting exercise is a duty during those times. It makes a huge change in my mood, which affects not only my spiritual outlook but how much others get out of being around me. I also tell my husband when I’m going through a hard time, and he is a great help. Some people have more serious depression, which sometimes must be treated with medications. Do not be too proud to accept medical help for medical problems.

Whether or not it turns out to be a physical problem, it would appear to be a spiritual one. Get spiritual guidance and support. Your pastor or spiritual director isn’t going to make it all go away, but they will help you to navigate it in a way that will add to, rather than damage, your spiritual health.

That is the main thing. “Gold tested in fire” implies that the dross gets poured off, that the extreme conditions endured were applied to achieve God’s ends. Treat this problem with diligence so that it does not negatively impact your ability to love or your trust in God. If you have to go through a dry period, at least do your utmost to make it a dry period in which you remained as faithful to your call as possible.

As for heaven, love God, love God, love God, and fear not. If you love and serve God, you can trust God to take care of eternal life for you, to protect you from all evil, and to never abandon you, no matter how dry and desolate the desert gets.

 

[water]

Take this feeling and turn it into something more positive. The feeling that you have could be a sign that you need to pray and ask God for His grace so that you will become more holy. This is what God wants all of us to become - image of Him.

On the other hand, if you keep thinking no matter what I do, I might not get into Heaven, it could become unhealthy thought. Keep reminding yourself that you are just a little peck of salt. All your good works can never be compared to Jesus’s great mercy. It is not the works we do that gain us the eternal salvation but it is His great mercy. You could image dropping that peck of salt into the river, would this make the river become salty? No. This river is His Mercy. We are to do what Jesus teaches us to do, but the salvation is what He gives you, not what we earn.

My main point is that our lives and at the end of our lives, we depend on His mercy. If we think that His mercy is not good enough for you, you might end up hurting Him instead. Once you repented, you ought to trust in Him that you are forgiven.

By the way, you are not the only person who feels this way, but we keep praying to trust in God.

In the Divine Mercy prayer, we say “Jesus, I trust in you”.

 

[xmydreamsfadex]

i feel the same way at times. here is what helps me. go to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament one night, and pray about the way you feel. really pray. be honest. don’t hold anything back. when i leave, i always feel a lot better and have such a peace inside that i know is from the Holy Spirit. i’m sure the saints have felt that way before.

 

[PraRFLEsEkHm]

Hi

Nothing is set in stone - even the Apostle Paul wasn’t sure he was ‘saved’.

For your feelings, perhaps you are experiencing a spiritual attack, since you are in RCIA you are a prime target so to speak. I went through the same thing. Focus more on learning the true Catholic teachings, and less on how you ‘feel’ about things. Also - praying the Rosary is very helpful I found. Practice until the repititions are easy and your mind can focus clearly on the mysteries - make them as vivid as possible in your mind…later you may find, as I did, that a ‘3rd’ level opens up in your mind and you are able to pray more powerfully, or be at complete peace during adoration, perform intercessory prayer, or whatever you wish while praying the rosary. It is very powerful. Use it as much as you can!

Keep the faith - it is a race we are running here, we must hold out to the end…it is not a once done forever done thing. Like a treasure hunt or something - we must “work out our salvation with fear and trembling” lest we stumble and after all our progress, lose the race.

Peace

John

 

[iwanttobelieve]

When I first believed in God after being an atheist for years, there was a period of absolute joy. Then, I went through a very trying time of despair and hardship, both emotional and physical.

I don’t know if this was a test of my faith, but it might have been. I have read and heard of people who experienced similar lows at the beginning of their faith journey.

Perhaps you’re going through something similar. Perhaps being in RCIA and learning about the faith, you are realizing how far we are from God’s standard and how none of us, on our own, are worthy of heaven, but by his Son’s death and the grace of God, we might one day be allowed to enter.

I think all these feelings are normal in the ups and downs of the spiritual life. Even Mother Theresa had deep doubts, as we saw in her writings. You could use this time of spiritual hardship and dryness to pray. Lean on Him–if this is a test that He is permitting to happen, it is ultimately to strengthen you.

I’m about to start RCIA this September. I pray God spares me from this this time around because it was very difficult for me the last time. But I can say that, after three years of spiritual difficulties, I am a stronger and more convicted believer, and I don’t think I would have found the Catholic Church otherwise.