Troubled Co-Worker

[ACanthony]

Hello all. There is an acquaintance at work named “Paul.” I am friendly with a lot of people at work and I think as Christians I think we should try to let our light shine, not for our glory of course but for the Lord’s. I became friendly with Paul and we would normally talk sports. The relationship grew to us going to lunch together (this was about 2 years ago). However, I become very very very disturbed once he started blaspheming Jesus and I realized suddenly this guy has some satanic elements to him. I tried to correct him of his faults in this matter (especially he seemed like he was getting his info from the Davinci Code). I basically cut off the relationship although I’m still civil with him at work. I do feel very badly for him. His father was murdered 20 years ago and it seems clear to me the hatred for the world stems from that. Now I am obviously understanding that in the Bible it tells us to not associate with these types of people and I won’t associate with him besides praying for him. Today however he told me it was the anniversary of his dad’s death and I told him I’d be praying for him and he mentioned something about how because of his death ‘Satan took my soul a long time ago.’ I know not to associate with him or make any contact with him but if he were to come up to my desk and say something like that again, what do you possibly say to that? I still just feel very bad for him because he is ‘nice’ at heart and I see him doing good deeds for people every now and then. Is there anything I can do besides prayer?

 

[mamaslo]

why did you cut things off with him? I am not sure I understand.

 

[ACanthony]

I didn’t necessarily cut ties with him, as I still am polite to him at work and we will talk sports and chit chat, but I know he is overall a bad influence. It seems like there is some kind of satanic thing going on with him. He told me a year ago he doesn’t want to go to Heaven because he doesn’t want to spend eternity with the religious right.

 

[mamaslo]

sounds like there is more to it. he sounds a little too like he was trying to shock you.

 

[sllhouette]

He is hurt.

I would say that his perspective of the “religious right” is that they are a group of people who do not love him. Why should he want to be with a group of people who do not Love him?

Further, I doubt he is as angry at the world as he is at God.

There is nothing you could possibility say to him to make him feel better. The only thing you can do is to be there with him and listen to him and talk to him. If he comes again, don’t try to say anything profound. Just talk to him. understand him.

 

[feed_me]

It seems to me that since he lost his father, he feels so much anger at the world, and at God because he felt that God would let something so horrible happen, and when that happened he wouldn’t get the time to spend with his father, and being taught the things that most people who have dads do. All that anger inside him shows just how much of a bond that they had together, and it got abruptly stopped when his dad was taken. The guy is hurting so you have to help him get rid of that hurt, get rid of that anger from his system. Don’t condemn him for it, talk to him about it. Praying can only do so much, but you have to show him the love of God to him.

Not associating with the immoral means the people that don’t want to change, and want to stay immoral. Some people are immoral because they don’t know how to change, nobody taught them, or lived it out for those people as an example.