C
About a year and a half ago, the Lord blessed me by allowing me to do the job of my dream, become a police officer. My brother had been a police officer with the same department, a fairly large one, for about 5 years. As I was going through the hiring process, he got into some trouble and ended up losing his job. He will not talk about it, so I don't know if he was "shafted" as everyone in the family says, or he really did it, as everyone at work says. Anyway, I was never told about this situation until the night before I started our police academy. Over 1,100 people applied for the job, 119 were accepted into the Academy, and only 60 of us graduated, so I beleive God definately had his hand in my getting this job. However, since taking it, my brother has refused to talk to me, and even started rumors around my job with a few officers he still talks to saying I am a dishonest person and things like that. Things that almost cost me my job while I was on probation, because co-workers had a preconceived notion about me that wasn't true. I have talked to my parents, my dad is the Deacon at our Church, and they have tried to help, but to no avail. I have talked to my Pastor, who had me and him and my brother sit down and talk. We both cried and he said he was sorry, but we haven't talked since then, and that was 5 months ago. We used to be so close, were both in the military and hunted together and stuff, but now, we never talk. I try to start conversation, and he just grunts and walks off. I have showed up at Church in uniform some, when I go in at 8:00 and Church starts at 7:00, and he always acts like I am rubbing it in his face. That is not my intentions, I am merely trying to soak up as much Church as possible, because I need all I can get. Another thing is, everyone in my family seems to think I am the bad guy. They act like I am responsible for what happened to him. Never mind that I didn't even work for the Department at the time, and that he is an adult and responsible for his own actions. It just really hurts, because we have always been a very close family, but now it seems I have become an outcast because of my chosen profession. I knew I would probably lose some acquaintences because of my job, people that were uncomfortable having a cop as a friend, but I never expected for my entire family to turn thier back on me. It is very discouraging. I know we are not supposed to be prideful, but sometimes, I just want to hear somebody say they are proud of me. I guess I just needed to vent, and to ask your advice. The Spring and Summer are coming up, and we usually get together a lot as a family. I have only 2 choices. !) Don't go to the get togethers and be outcast even more. 2) Go to them, and be treated like a leper and pushed aside, and watch my wife and kids be shunned, while everyone bends over backwards for him and his family. I know I am supposed to be the bigger person, to turn the other cheek, but I just get tired of doing all the work and never getting anywhere with it. Please, just pray for me and my family. Thank you, and God bless you.
if he wont talk in person. I will be praying for you