I am empty and lost. Someone please tell me something that will renew my faith.

uh, what's your faith?

Originally posted by Swede
I am empty and lost. Someone please tell me something that will renew my faith.

You're a good guy Swede...:)

umm...hang in there...

err...have some flowers...:flowers:

I like swedes...:D

I have never been anything in particular as bizarre as it sounds. I have just always believed in God. My husband is baptist, he has a strong faith. But life has gotten so hard that I feel like God has just totally given up on me, on us, my whole family.

Sorry Swede, I didn't mean to be flippant about your troubles...:(

I'm also sorry I called you a guy...:flowers:

And since I found out you were married to Beirut...:flowers: :flowers: :flowers: :D

I'm not big on faith, but the most comforting passage that I know of in the Bible is...

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

I've always thought it's a beautiful piece of poetry...

if you are planing to reinvent your faith, i recomend that you convert to being jewish. jews are much cooler and we are after all the religon that all those christians (even muslems i belive) are copying.

Vile, yes that was one of my favorites, but it's somehow lost it's meaning to me lately.

Rated, uhm, that's got to be the strangest thing anyone has ever told me to try...lol But I have to admit that the jewish faith has always intrigued me. I think I have watched "Fiddler on the Roof" a zillion times. :p

Tevye: [to God] It may sound like I'm complaining, but I'm not. After all, with your help, I'm starving to death.

Perchik: Money is the world's curse.
Tevye: May the Lord smite me with it. And may I never recover.

Tevye: As Abraham said, "I am a stranger in a strange land..."
Rabbi's Son: Moses said that.
Tevye: Ah. Well, as King David said, "I am slow of speech, and slow of tongue."
Rabbi's Son: That was also Moses.
Tevye: For a man who was slow of speech he talked a lot.


Tevya cracks me up. :) Funny, strong character and a good father and husband.

Originally posted by Swede

Rated, uhm, that's got to be the strangest thing anyone has ever told me to try...lol But I have to admit that the jewish faith has always intrigued me. I think I have watched "Fiddler on the Roof" a zillion times. :p


yeap once you have watched the fiddler on the roof you know all the deap and dark secrates of judaism

Swede, I am sorry you are sad.
Have faith in yourself.
When I was younger, and Mom was living, I would get depressed and she would tell me to reach down and roll up my pants legs and march forward.
Foreward I learned is the future. Make of it what you will.

I remember a poem from somewhere that went something like:

I bargained with life for a penny and a penny was all I made.
Only to learn later that any wage I had asked of life,
life would have willingly paid.

Cheer-up and look for the new path of adventures life has put you on.

I remember years ago in a bad situation that for a brief moment I contemplated taking my own life. Then suddenly I thought that if I was reading this book of my life I could not just put it down. I would have to read further just to see how a nut in my situation came out. He came out just fine. And moved on to more adventures. :) Glad I kept reading.

Originally posted by Dan Fussell
Swede, I am sorry you are sad.
Have faith in yourself.
When I was younger, and Mom was living, I would get depressed and she would tell me to reach down and roll up my pants legs and march forward.
Foreward I learned is the future. Make of it what you will.

I remember a poem from somewhere that went something like:

I bargained with life for a penny and a penny was all I made.
Only to learn later that any wage I had asked of life,
life would have willingly paid.

Cheer-up and look for the new path of adventures life has put you on.

I remember years ago in a bad situation that for a brief moment I contemplated taking my own life. Then suddenly I thought that if I was reading this book of my life I could not just put it down. I would have to read further just to see how a nut in my situation came out. He came out just fine. And moved on to more adventures. :) Glad I kept reading.

Great post Dan...:)

Dan, that was an amazingly warm and insightful message. I loved the idea of the book about yourself. I have to admit that I would feel the same about my life. It would make a GREAT chic flic! lol Anyway, I'm starting to feel a bit better now, but I'm still not sure what to think about God. I want to feel what I felt years ago again. It's almost like I messed up so bad that he doesn't even care anymore, and he probably doesn't for sure now because I kinda jumped all over him last night because I felt so alone. I don't know what to do. I may have ruined everything for life. :(

Vile, your avatar frightens me......yikes!

Originally posted by Swede

Vile, your avatar frightens me......yikes!

What...my picture of Vilepagan...retired brain surgeon turned international playboy and bon vivant?

Frightening? Well... he did get his head caught in a piece of farm machinery as a boy...he was stuck there for 3 days before anyone found him...still...you should have seen him before the reconstructive surgery...EEEK!

Vile I am in trouble and it is your fault....
;)

Faith is a belief in something that you can not touch, see, smell or hear. It is a conviction that will be tested many times in your life and at times it will fade. But to have faith in anything a person must have faith in themselves. Swede I know that you do deep inside, who knows you better than I?

Whether a person believes in God or believes that we are alone, faith is always present. Some have faith in a deity and some in themselves, either way it is an important part of life.
TO go without any faith is to truly be without the light that some call a soul and others call passion.

Swede if you have lost a belief in God or just in yourself both can be healed. Look up or in but remember that only love is powerful enough to heal all.


:flowers:

The first realization of God is kinda like first sex.
You think this is the best thing in the world.
As time goes by you still enjoy it but soon begin to take it for granted. Its never really as good again as the first times.
Then comes a day when its no longer the most important thing on your mind.

But God is still there. Its not that he turns from us. I believe we just fail to see him everywhere. The Supreme force in all that is would not be slighted by our words of anger to him. HE hears heart not words.
I have had what I thought were bad luck situations in my life that crashed me out but these situations put me back on an intended path. I have been forced to change directions that led to things I would have never experienced.
I met my wife of 10 years by being redirected in such a way.
She is the best person I have had the priviledge of knowing. I love her dearly and would not even have met her except for a turn in my life that I thought was bad at the time.
When things seem bad, thats our perception of the situation.
We don't know what we avoided or what we approach.

There is a difference between faith and blind belief. The word Faith often gets hijacked to mean a never question, no doubt blind faith within a religious context. That is not faith - it is merely lack of faith in oneself expressed as a need to join a group and then aclaim faith to ensure conformity to the group norm.

Swede - sorry to feel that you are down in the dumps. Such times can be valuable (in fact are always a gift) - it's hard to reflect and review when everything is swell. Take the time to take stock.

My only real input is that it's ok to be down. One example of faith would be to accept how you feel as being totally fine and a requirement in order to reach another better state of mind. That would take faith. Faith and acceptance are much the same thing.

I think it was Gilbran that said something along the lines of to reach new lands a ship has to lose sight of the shore.

:)

I am glad to say that between my daughter and what you all have posted, my faith has been renewed. The comments below were part of what made me think and decide that there IS in fact a God and that I shouldn't be upset when I feel that he is ignoring me. Thanks to all of you. :)

But to have faith in anything a person must have faith in themselves. Swede I know that you do deep inside, who knows you better than I?
----B_V----

I love you babe, and this is the biggest reason why. Your loving words and your support of me, no matter what I am thinking in my darkest hours. Never change and know that I will be here for you, forever and always. ::flowers:


The Supreme force in all that is would not be slighted by our words of anger to him. HE hears heart not words.

----Dan Fussell----

Dan, all the years that I have prayed and felt ignored was hard to take. When I read your post it dawned on me why that was happening. God wasn't listening to my words in prayer because I was asking for things that my heart really didn't need or want. Thank you for helping me through this. :)


I think it was Gilbran that said something along the lines of to reach new lands a ship has to lose sight of the shore.

----DrewM----

Drew, I never thought of it this way, but I guess that is in essence what I have been doing all my life, losing sight of shore. And in the long run, whether it seemed that way at the time or not, it was always a learning experience of some sort. Thank you so much for helping me to remember that. :)

Originally posted by Swede

----B_V----

I love you babe, and this is the biggest reason why. Your loving words and your support of me, no matter what I am thinking in my darkest hours. Never change and know that I will be here for you, forever and always. ::flowers:


Awwww! What a cute couple. :)

:drinktoth

Originally posted by Swede
I have never been anything in particular as bizarre as it sounds. I have just always believed in God. My husband is baptist, he has a strong faith. But life has gotten so hard that I feel like God has just totally given up on me, on us, my whole family.

I think that anybody who is secure in their faith has gone through that. How can you know that you can walk through the flames unscathed until you do? It's easy for people untested in their faith to say how "easy" it is to 'keep the faith'.. until THEY face the test.

For myself, going through the fire took me in a different direction. I floundered for quite a bit, feeling that God had abandoned me. Life was hard, and getting worse the more I prayed. Then I discovered Truth. Now, I'm secure and confident in my faith, and I see *WHY* I had to go through that floundering period. It's made me stronger and more secure.

Of course, I changed religions quite radically when that happened.. YMMV

Thanks Lionel, I have been in love with Swede for 30 years since I first met her in High School.

Swede place your faith in Gods hands, your trust in mine and your destiny in your own.

:flowers:

I think that anybody who is secure in their faith has gone through that. How can you know that you can walk through the flames unscathed until you do? It's easy for people untested in their faith to say how "easy" it is to 'keep the faith'.. until THEY face the test.

--P Marie--

I totally agree with that. It kind of makes me think about how my mother used to tell me how easy it was to quit smoking when she had never touched a cigarette in her life...lol



Swede place your faith in Gods hands, your trust in mine and your destiny in your own.

--B_V--


{{{{{HUGS!}}}}} Let me stand on top of the highest mountain and shout to the world how much I love you! You are my everything B_V! (Kisses) :D

Youre making me blush Swede... But dont stop....
:banana:


I cant stop dancing.................

Originally posted by Beirut_Veteran
Youre making me blush Swede... But dont stop....
:banana:


I cant stop dancing.................

that is sooooo romantic! 30 years! since high school! it's like a fairy tale or something. *sigh*

that is sooooo romantic! 30 years! since high school! it's like a fairy tale or something. *sigh*

Yeah, I knew the moment I saw him in band that I wanted to be with him. His smile lit me up inside. He was so popular amongst the band people and I was the shy girl over in the corner. He was everthing I wanted to be. Funny, intelligent, outgoing. B_V is my rock. Without him I would just wither away. He's a very special man. :)

that's the kind of thing that makes me smile. :D

hehe, glad to make ya smile then :)

::::Kicks the ground shyly:::::: :D

Swede knows that I was in love with her at first sight. And I will always love her no matter what she posts on here..... ;)