I am heartbroken for you. God must have a better plan for you. I will keep you in my prayers and will be begging for help for you!!
Went to Adoration tonight and prayed for you. I told God that I was going to hire a sky writer to write all the great and wonderful things about you, but God said, "The sky isn't big enough..." You will get your answer soon. Do not lose hope. God is grooming you into obediance.
I concur with whats been said here 'God has a plan'. I have at times been where you are at the end of my tether asking God why? why?. Then when I truly leave the answer to God like saying 'if you want me to go through this then thats fine by me' the strings are untied and God gives me a generous answer. He is training us and refining us and it always hurts but know he has a plan just trust him. 'Jesus I Trust in You'. I will keep you in my prayers also. God bless Mary
Thanks everyone, for your kind responses and the PM's. They are helping me to feel slightly better, although I still feel so very devastated...like I have been hit by a mack truck. When I first posted yesterday, I had just received the news. So all day yesterday the news was sinking in and processing and by the time I went to bed I felt the true devastation. Just dis-belief that I didn't get it, and mad at myself for being so confident that I would. Sometimes I feel like I almost trust Jesus too much at times, in the sense that I assumed this job lead was from him (it was aligned so perfectly and they reached out to me out of the blue) and therefore I let my guard down and opened myself up to be hopeful/confident, only to be sucker punched. I was so confident that I told many people about it (I usually don't mention leads or interviews to people anymore), I allowed myself to daydream about working there with the people I know, allowed myself to daydream about leaving the part-time job I hate (I like one and hate the other), and took my foot off the gas pedal in terms of hours I was working (meaning for the past 2 weeks I worked 6 days a week instead of 7). But looks like it is back to 7 days a week and doubles when I can (to at least get my car fixed) and the next few days I will have to tell people the bad news. I can't believe I told so many people about these interviews. I will never do that again. Ever. Thank you again for your posts. I will be responding to the PM's soon. Right now I am off to the job I hate. But it is God's will for me even though I absolutely hate it so. At least yesterday I fasted. Well, actually I fasted because I had no appetite after getting the news, and if I ate I probably would have been sick to my stomach. So, I did not even have a slice of bread yesterday...just coffee and water. Since I fasted the day before, that was a 2-day in a row fast...I hope I get extra points for that!!
When you are on the floor thats when God acts because you are weak He is strong and He love you even if you fail in fasting or praying. He looks at your heart and he loves you as you are. Something wonderful will happen for you yet. My mother used to always advise me to 'offer it up' and you know its good advise especially when we feel humiliated. I am remembering you at every mass. Blessings Mary
That's what came to me last night too. The "dark one" would enjoy your agony in this situation and it would "fry" him to have you take your anguish and offer it back to the Lord for a sacrifice. Just what Sparky had hoped for ill, turns to joy and salvation. Certainly not what he had in mind but exactly what the Lord has in mind. Hmmmm mmmm! Yes please!
These are very difficult times, the good as well as the bad suffer. This is just the beginning Grimisocks, the world has got very hard. Hang in there, please offer all this up for our Blessed Mother's intentions. I don't say this lightly. God is indeed with you. He is with all of us in our hour of need.
I know EXACTLY how you are feeling. I lost a job that I had held for 18 years at about your age when I supported a wife and three teenage children. I started a business that failed dramatically and cost me all my savings. I then took a series of temporary jobs at a level far below what I was used to interspersed with periods of unemployment. I was interviewed for several 'perfect' jobs confident of getting most of them. I was offered one and the offer was withdrawn because of re-organisation (the lowest point of all) and I was one of two short-listed for another and didn't get that either. Somehow my income just outran the bills arriving - which still amazes me but shouldn't I suppose. The temporary jobs continued and one finally turned into a permanent job that I didn't much like but stuck at it and retired from that position. I still don't know why my prayers went unanswered and was bitter for some years but finally offered up all the pain and uncertaintly for my soul and those of my family. I prayed for you at Mass this am and hope that your job and accommodation problems are quickly resolved.
Whenever Our Lady prompted me in prayer to start his forum I kinda stuck in the prayer requests section as an after thought, thinking, very foolishly , that it would probably be the section least used. Was I wrong! In fact it has become the very heart and centre of the forum and I have to say for me that part that most inspires and causes me to pray. Reminding me so much of the Hail Mary ,when we say , 'Pray for us sinners'. I just don't know why prayers sometimes don't appear to get answered. I say ,'appear' for of course all prayers do get answered, we have the promise of Christ in this regard: Matthew 7:7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Though of course St James warns that our prayers are not answered because we ask amiss...God does not write blank cheques). But I have been praying for a while for my little niece in Michican, Fiona. Fiona was a champion State swimmer and there was even talk she might one day swim in the US Olympic team some day . But a couple of years ago she developed Lupus a kind of premature arthritis and now her limbs are gnarled and she finds it hard enough to move let alone walk. My prayers in one way don't seem to have been answered in that she is not cured. But it has cured me, in that I understand now that Fiona is very, very special indeed in that God is calling her to stand at the foot of the Cross. That she is called to be a Champion victim soul rather than a champion swimmer.
PS, what can I say? I don't have examples of scripture to keep you in hope like some of the more insightful members on here. I don't have much by way of soothing words as I'm not that literate with words. What I do have, however, is my own heartbreaking journey in gaining employment. I can use that burgeoning, piercing and depressive experience to pray to the lord and the celestial choir for OUR intentions. You, Momscalling and me PS, we're in it together. Lets pray for one another...
PotatoSack, I'm no reader-of-minds but in your long post three things jumped out at me: when on break on my 2nd job I clearly heard from Jesus “will you abandon Me?”. I wasn’t sure what was meant by this, but after praying on it, I realized that when I was last working a career job I had pretty much stopped praying. I had abandoned Him and I was convinced that that was the reason for this very heavy cross that I carry now. I assured Him that I would not ever abandon Him again and that I would pray more than ever. From what I've read and from what Padraig has shared, many are tempted to jettison their prayer life when faced with a prolonged cross or desert experience. Your above promise to persevere in your relationship with Jesus, to keep that channel of loving communication open, to never abandon Him, is such a sweet remedy for His Heart. Too often He is met with indifference, abandonment, and lukewarmness. You are such an inspiration for me! True love reveals itself when we have nothing to give, and we still do what we can. I’ve given up all activities such as my self defense class, biking (one of my loves, but my bike needs work and I don’t have the funds), my sports league that I do once a week, my own place, basic pleasures of life like spending time with friends, etc. All I’ve done since April is work these 2 part-time jobs, look for work, and pray. You have not run from the challenges of life, and yet at the same time you have sacrificed so much. The demands of minimum wage jobs have alienated you from friends; you must be lonely! And yet you have visited Jesus at Adoration when He, Himself, is so often left alone in an empty church! I know I am a big sinner and made big mistakes in the past but it just feels like this cross is beyond excessive and if I make 1 mistake then God will say NO to a potential contract job too. Here comes my gentle warning. God is not waiting for you to shape up or else. I don't know the why of His delay, but I definitely know He is not a scratch my back and I'll scratch yours type god. This is a little lie sown by the enemy in the midst of your frustration, to confuse you and wear you down. Please fight such thoughts off with the truth of His Word. In Jeremiah, God promises: I have loved you with an everlasting love and I am constant in my affection for you! As you have made the tough decisions before, do so again by speaking this truth concerning God's love toward you. Do it even though you have trouble seeing it. There is nothing you can do to earn His pleasure. Jesus loves you completely, now! You are always in my prayers! I will never give up on you! Safe in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary!
A member by the name of 'Mary's Child' posted this in another forum. I think it's apt in this context: John The Baptist had to live in the desert, Jesus spent time there also . Living/Being in the desert is tough. But it is where all the graces and riches come from and where we grow really strong. Sometimes, I have been so thirsty (for God) that I have told Him that my tongue is sticking to the floor! The desert seemed like a desolate place but it was necessary for John and Jesus before they went out on their missions... John the Baptist remained living there.. My prayer is .. Father help me learn to live in the desert and thrive. Hang in there, keeping you in thoughts and prayers..
thank you everyone, for your heartfelt prayers and kind and inspiring words. I can't tell you how much it means to me. This forum is really carrying me through this time of crisis in my life. I can't thank you all enough! Steve - your post was inspiring how you persevered. Your situation sounds very similar to mine, especially the job offer that got pulled back. That happened to me a year ago, which was when I started posting on this topic on the forum. Thank you for sharing your story as it gives me hope! Yes Mario, this has been a very lonely time for me. My friends are very successful, and I do feel very alienated from them. They don't know what to say to me anymore, and it's hard to share in the conversation when they are speaking of work, vacations, additions to their homes, etc. But I believe the most lonely feeling was when the family I am living with told me the deadline for moving out. That is when it really hit me that I am actually homeless and I felt very unwanted where I am living now. It's not awkward, but it's hard to feel totally comfortable when you know the people you are living with would rather you not be there. But I have and will continue to offer it up every day. Not much more I can do but work and offer it up. Thanks very much Grimisocks for fasting for me. That is very generous, since I know fasts are really hard. Thank you all for your prayers. I don't feel all alone anymore. Thank you for the PM's...I will respond to those as soon as I can. I am off to work a double now. I will continue to pray for all of your intentions as you pray and help me carry this cross!
This reminds me of something happened to me right back at school when I was about 15. I was very popular back then and had a group of about six or seven friends and we used to hang about together all the time both in and out of school. Then I went back to school after a summers holiday and they had all gone! Some to other schools or classes or whatever but suddenly it was like my school was a strange place. For the first time in my life I felt really lonely. I tried in desperation to make friends with one person there but he didn't want to know in fact he outright told me he hated me. So anyway it was only years later looking back I realised that this had happened for a good reason. During that period I had so much more time for prayer. I started visiting the Blessed Sacrament on the way home from school for instance and walking the mountains on my own. Reading the lives of the saints and so on. But God really had to carve an empty place in my heart and like a good surgeon He did just that. Oh it hurt a lot ,a very,very great deal. But if I had stayed friends with the guys I would not have become friends with God. God cannot fill a place that is full, He can only fill a place that is empty. Luke 1:53 English Standard Version (ESV) 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
I just saw this post on Father Z's blog. Say it with faith Potatosack - St. Joseph knew about the problems of a working life Prayer to Saint Joseph for a Difficult Problem O Glorious St. Joseph, thou who hast power to render possible even things which are considered impossible, come to our aid in our present trouble and distress. Take this important and difficult affair under thy particular protection, that it may end happily. (MENTION YOUR REQUEST) O dear St. Joseph, all our confidence is in thee. Let it not be said that we would invoke thee in vain; and since thou art so powerful with Jesus and Mary, show that thy goodness equals thy power. Amen. St. Joseph, friend of the Sacred Heart, pray for us.My experience has been that, when praying to St. Joseph, it is best to be specific.
Hi everyone, long time no post, I know. I've been away so much that when I look at all the threads I have not read, it makes my head spin. I used to be completely up to date with this forum, now I feel like a newcomer! Well, there was only one place to start...this "afterthought" topic thread that is now oh, so important. Specifically, I wanted to see if you, Potatosack, had made any headway since I last posted. I pray for you all the time, you and the girl named Melanie, who is in this school program with me. I think I mentioned her last time, anyway she still does not have a teaching position secured. I am good now, so I am thanking God for my answers (which have continued, so I think I am doing what he wants me to do with my life...I am pretty strong in my faith in that now) and I am praying for your petitions and asking St. Joseph and Francis and Mary and...whoever else I think may be available, to also pray and intercede for you, Potatosack, and for Melanie. So far, neither of you are getting the answers you are looking for. Why? Same question I had been asking myself for all these years of crappy jobs and emptying bank accounts. Melanie has a whole set of other circumstances and I'm not going to go into her situation right now, but if anyone would like to pray for her, pray that she gets a handle on her life, and that she finds her vocation by looking for it instead of waiting for it. I think God is waiting for her to do something and instead she is waiting for something to fall in her lap. She hears Him speak and seems sure He is going to put her in this position that has still not hired her...I think He is waiting for her to find another position. But enough about that for now. Potatosack, I read all through these recent threads, and like Padraig I also felt like crying for you. In the last month I have actually "heard" God talk to me twice for the first time. Normally He communicates to me by "showing" me things that I have to "notice" (like the campers that were in my way when he got me to go to Medjugorje). I did not hear a voice, but for the first time I can recall, I "heard" a thought (and saw an image to go with it) in my head that I did not put there...so this is what an inner locusion is! Both were to do with this new teaching career, and the fear and apprehension I am feeling about the great amount of work that is coming my way in a few weeks after all this coursework part is over (which is HUGE by the way, I have no time for this forum or Facebook with 8 hours of class and then 8 hours of homework afterward every day). When I was with Melanie having dinner one evening, we BOTH had a locusion! Hers first - she had a "vision" about Catholics that was wonderful (she was worrying about "us" and how we worship compared to how she worships as an evangelical, and we were talking about that, disagreeing on some things, and I was trying to explain the Eucharist "species" to her and it was troubling her, when suddenly she "saw" a older man, dressed in a suit, in a catholic church with the statues and music, and he was looking toward the alter in deep adoration, and she saw his heart was opened in his chest and shining (the way she described it was like she was seeing the "sacred heart"), and she felt her own heart burn and then she heard "they're all ok". Pretty cool, huh? Well, shortly afterward I was talking about how I have never really "jumped" in with both feet any job I have had, that I have always held back something and that I feel I really have to jump into this teaching thing, but I am terrified and don't know how to do it...BUT then I "heard" "I'll catch you" and I saw a "vision" of Notre Dame University where Mary is perched high on the golden dome, and in the courtyard below is Jesus with his outstretched arms, looking up at her as if to say, "You can jump Mom, I'll catch you". This is a real place, but for a moment I saw it clear as a picture in front of me. I said "OK"...out loud. I don't know why I just said all that, because what I really wanted to do was ask you a question, Potatosack. It is this, should you be looking in another direction? I NEVER in a million years thought I would teach school. If anyone would have told me that 10 years ago, and especially at my old Catholic high school, I would have laughed and walked away. Of course, if anyone would have told me I would go to Bosnia twice in 2010, I would have thought they were totally bonkers. It was the hardest thing in the world for me to change careers...no, vocations, at 50 years old, and after spending so much time and education and money on my other career path. It has taken all my money, and is now taking my mother's money, to get me to this point and now through more schooling. When I really look hard at what I am doing, it is absolutely crazy! But now I have 2 jobs waiting! (oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Orangeville came back! I now have three classes to teach in Orangeville in the morning and one at Aquin in the afternoon!) Talk about a lot of work for almost no pay...but this is what God wants me to do now. I will work harder than I have in years for a fraction of the pay I used to make as a business professional...but I will make a real difference this time. I will be in a good place. I am still worried about money, but I have to believe that God will help with that, as long as I keep listening to Him and working hard...really hard. Potatosack...God said two things to you..."will you abandon me?" and "Self-denial", right? And you have to move on from your current living arrangements. I think you are taking these phrases to mean something perhaps a lot smaller or narrower than what they may really be saying to you. God thinks big. God waits a long time for us to finally decide to listen to Him. Also, God rarely speaks in past-tense. He said self denial and you thought of all the things you have already done to deny yourself what you enjoy doing, and that maybe you need to fast more? I don't think he is acknowledging that stuff, I think he is asking something much bigger from you. I am sorry, I don't know this about you - are you or were you married? Do you have children? Or are you all on your own? Now I didn't actually "hear" anything, but I can't stop thinking "vocation, vocation, vocation". Has God said anything to you that maybe you are ignoring or denying? Can I recommend a book to you? "Mary of Nazareth". Contrary to the title, this is a book about vocations and being called to the right one. This is the book that fell at my feet twice in a Franciscan bookstore. It helped me decide to take at least the first jump into this teaching thing. Maybe it can help you to figure out what God is really trying to tell you, where you are supposed to really go next. It is a good read, especially for us Mary and rosary lovers: http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Nazareth-Federico-Suarez/dp/188933488X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342851415&sr=1-2&keywords=mary of nazareth Still praying for you. I have adoration tomorrow night, I will have a chat with Jesus about you and about all the stuff I wrote tonight. Sometimes I don't know if I am on the right track myself, what gives me the right to suggest a change of track for you? I don't know. I am sorry if I went too far. I need to pray about it some more.
Hi potato sack I found this novena prayer for those seeking employment hope it helps Novena prayer to ST.Expeditus St Expeditus saint and martyr, I humbly bessech you to help me in my necessities I promise this day to love you , serve you and promote your honour to the best of my ability . I ask of you to obtain for me from Jesus Christ Our Lord the grace to dedicate all my thoughts, words and actions to the Glory of God . Grant that my prayer may be heard with confidence ,courage and peaceful certitude in perfect union with thu Divine intercession , I will await the hour of thy mercy, to intercede for me with Immaculate Mother of God , that my prayer may be granted . Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be . If possible go to Mass on the first and last day of the novena
