Venting Time

[thimsrebma]

So, everyone has a bad day every once in a while. And we need to let it out. Many of us live alone and have no one to unwind to when we get home from work except Fluffy or Fido, but they don't give advice or encouragement.

So here we are. You may vent all you want but if you do, you must also give an encouraging word to someone else. (I know this has been done before but we may need a new one so we're not reading 15 pages of vents dating from 2009.)

So I will go first.

Today was not very great. In August I moved to Kuwait to work as a teacher. We started class the first week in September so I am still learning the processes and programs which are similar to back home but are used differently. Today I had a discussion with my grade level team about books. DISASTER. Apparently there are 4 different sets of books, each with a different way to organize and utilize the books. What a tedious process? Books are books. Why does it have to be so complicated? Get a book, read a book, put it back so someone else can read it. Why do I have to have a set for guided reading, a set for take home, a set for teacher use, and a set for independent reading which are the ONLY books students can use by themselves?

The most frustrating part was that my colleagues did not understand why I thought the process was so ridiculous. And when I asked why we did it like that, all they could say was "It's just how we do it." I need to know why we do it like that and how it is an efficient use of time and effective for the students. Of course no one knows. So everyone is just blindly following processes without any understanding of their purpose. It makes me wonder how many other programs or systems we are using that may be outdated and without purpose.

 

[CatHerder]

What a great concept for a thread! Yes. We deal with some frustrating things, but your encouragement rule keeps thins positive - in theory. Let's see how the thread works itself out.

When I was a teacher, I taught music, but also Spanish and 9th grade English on occasion (this was prior to NCLB). I found that the ancillary materials were hard to keep up with since they are marketed to go with the main textbook. If this is what you are talking about, then yes, I understand your frustration. And the materials from one publisher may be better than the ancillary materials from the text you are using, but don't necessarily have the same vocabulary, scope and sequence, etc.

Oh, my encouragement - First years are tough. Even if it is not your first year teaching, it is your first year teaching there, and you are going to have to adapt to the texts. That isn't to say that you can't do things in a way that makes sense to you. It may be reinventing the wheel a bit, but in the long term, it will be worth it! Also, know that you are going to be bringing a fresh perspective to the department. Given time, they will grow to appreciate this.

OK, my vent -
I have like, a gazillion of them...I'll pick a church one. I feel I am stuck regarding church fellowship. My youngest (12) loves my church and has many relationships there. I have her every other Sunday, so that is where I attend on those days. Most of my friends who remained friends with me after my divorce have moved on to other churches. Though I have made many great friends there since, there are others who I though were my friends who have not said two words to me in years. I used to feel I had a place in music ministry, but a shift in personnel has me out of there at the moment (that is a whole other vent!) Anyway, I feel kind of stuck getting established at a new place when my kid loves my old church so much. Her mother does not attend church at all, so I don't want to disrupt her further by forcing a new church on her.

 

[iTOREtheSKY]

Ummm..wow...I want to encourage you Cat,but I'm not sure how. She is 12 you said,and getting older...enough to understand things in life I think. have you ever sat down with her to talk about this & maybe see if she'd be ok attending another church? Maybe you could go there once a month so she could see her friends? That's a tough one because you need fellowship as well. I suppose you could pull the "I'm the parent & you'll go where I go" card,but that almost sounds too rigid in this case. I'd say pray,but I'm sure you have already. I will pray God makes a way somehow & this will resolve itself.

I feel stupid now...my vent.
Well,I just got this weeks schedule from work & basically I am only on 3 days within the next two weeks. Today they even sent us all home early by an hour. I am at my wits end. I am so stressed out about $$$. If something miraculous doesn't happen I will be homeless by the end of the month..no joke! I have tried looking for other part time work..nothing. I have tried to get financial aid..nothing (this is due to my divorce & the selling of our house..etc..) I have no friends or family I could stay with here. I have no $$ to relocate. I have nothing of any value to sell. I am pretty much (fill in the blank with colourful words) I owe hospital bills,I owe my poor step dad $$$...it's a never ending rut ,this past yr. Everytime there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel,bam...something happens. I even got a rejection notice today at work for a job within the company I applied for that would allow us to work as a home agent. Well they never told us that there were only 5 positions available among the 3 call centers of around 1500 employees. Apparently 50 people applied for the job & they gave it to seasoned reps. (I guess 7 yrs of service & commuting 2 hrs a day doesn't mean squat)
So yeah...anyways..I have been praying & praying God...plz help. Trying to quote scripture etc...for months now. I am really losing hope. I feel sick all the time..not sleeping..depression,and all I keep thinking about is what a failure my life has evolved into. I really do wish many nights that when I close my eyes that I don't open them again. I know this is horrible to say and I really don't care if people judge me or think I'm an idiot & unspiritual...and I know we shouldn't be led by our feelings...but after all this is the thread to VENT,so I am.
Selah.

 

[kenthomas27]

Ummm..wow...I want to encourage you Cat,but I'm not sure how. She is 12 you said,and getting older...enough to understand things in life I think. have you ever sat down with her to talk about this & maybe see if she'd be ok attending another church? Maybe you could go there once a month so she could see her friends? That's a tough one because you need fellowship as well. I suppose you could pull the "I'm the parent & you'll go where I go" card,but that almost sounds too rigid in this case. I'd say pray,but I'm sure you have already. I will pray God makes a way somehow & this will resolve itself.

I feel stupid now...my vent.
Well,I just got this weeks schedule from work & basically I am only on 3 days within the next two weeks. Today they even sent us all home early by an hour. I am at my wits end. I am so stressed out about $$$. If something miraculous doesn't happen I will be homeless by the end of the month..no joke! I have tried looking for other part time work..nothing. I have tried to get financial aid..nothing (this is due to my divorce & the selling of our house..etc..) I have no friends or family I could stay with here. I have no $$ to relocate. I have nothing of any value to sell. I am pretty much (fill in the blank with colourful words) I owe hospital bills,I owe my poor step dad $$$...it's a never ending rut ,this past yr. Everytime there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel,bam...something happens. I even got a rejection notice today at work for a job within the company I applied for that would allow us to work as a home agent. Well they never told us that there were only 5 positions available among the 3 call centers of around 1500 employees. Apparently 50 people applied for the job & they gave it to seasoned reps. (I guess 7 yrs of service & commuting 2 hrs a day doesn't mean squat)
So yeah...anyways..I have been praying & praying God...plz help. Trying to quote scripture etc...for months now. I am really losing hope. I feel sick all the time..not sleeping..depression,and all I keep thinking about is what a failure my life has evolved into. I really do wish many nights that when I close my eyes that I don't open them again. I know this is horrible to say and I really don't care if people judge me or think I'm an idiot & unspiritual...and I know we shouldn't be led by our feelings...but after all this is the thread to VENT,so I am.
Selah.

Oh my ITore. -My powerful God of Israel Who is and Who was and Who will be forever, I pray you hear his pleas. I pray you give him solid work and health care. He is not looking for hand outs. He's looking to provide for his family and himself and I pray you offer him a pathway he's not seen. These are hard times but we believe in Your healing touch and miracles. I pray these sufferings be comforted with Your touch. I pray these things In Jesus' name that he looks in places he wouldn't normally look and see pathways in a place he hasn't walked and find those things You have laid out for him, I pray in Jesus name please hear my prayer as unworthy as I am I pray for his healing and his newness. In Christ's name. Amen.

 

[zeroturbulence]

So, everyone has a bad day every once in a while. And we need to let it out. Many of us live alone and have no one to unwind to when we get home from work except Fluffy or Fido, but they don't give advice or encouragement.

So here we are. You may vent all you want but if you do, you must also give an encouraging word to someone else. (I know this has been done before but we may need a new one so we're not reading 15 pages of vents dating from 2009.)

So I will go first.

Today was not very great. In August I moved to Kuwait to work as a teacher. We started class the first week in September so I am still learning the processes and programs which are similar to back home but are used differently. Today I had a discussion with my grade level team about books. DISASTER. Apparently there are 4 different sets of books, each with a different way to organize and utilize the books. What a tedious process? Books are books. Why does it have to be so complicated? Get a book, read a book, put it back so someone else can read it. Why do I have to have a set for guided reading, a set for take home, a set for teacher use, and a set for independent reading which are the ONLY books students can use by themselves?

The most frustrating part was that my colleagues did not understand why I thought the process was so ridiculous. And when I asked why we did it like that, all they could say was "It's just how we do it." I need to know why we do it like that and how it is an efficient use of time and effective for the students. Of course no one knows. So everyone is just blindly following processes without any understanding of their purpose. It makes me wonder how many other programs or systems we are using that may be outdated and without purpose.

WELCOME BACK, AMBER!!

 

[thimsrebma]

Ummm..wow...I want to encourage you Cat,but I'm not sure how. She is 12 you said,and getting older...enough to understand things in life I think. have you ever sat down with her to talk about this & maybe see if she'd be ok attending another church? Maybe you could go there once a month so she could see her friends? That's a tough one because you need fellowship as well. I suppose you could pull the "I'm the parent & you'll go where I go" card,but that almost sounds too rigid in this case. I'd say pray,but I'm sure you have already. I will pray God makes a way somehow & this will resolve itself.

I feel stupid now...my vent.
Well,I just got this weeks schedule from work & basically I am only on 3 days within the next two weeks. Today they even sent us all home early by an hour. I am at my wits end. I am so stressed out about $$$. If something miraculous doesn't happen I will be homeless by the end of the month..no joke! I have tried looking for other part time work..nothing. I have tried to get financial aid..nothing (this is due to my divorce & the selling of our house..etc..) I have no friends or family I could stay with here. I have no $$ to relocate. I have nothing of any value to sell. I am pretty much (fill in the blank with colourful words) I owe hospital bills,I owe my poor step dad $$$...it's a never ending rut ,this past yr. Everytime there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel,bam...something happens. I even got a rejection notice today at work for a job within the company I applied for that would allow us to work as a home agent. Well they never told us that there were only 5 positions available among the 3 call centers of around 1500 employees. Apparently 50 people applied for the job & they gave it to seasoned reps. (I guess 7 yrs of service & commuting 2 hrs a day doesn't mean squat)
So yeah...anyways..I have been praying & praying God...plz help. Trying to quote scripture etc...for months now. I am really losing hope. I feel sick all the time..not sleeping..depression,and all I keep thinking about is what a failure my life has evolved into. I really do wish many nights that when I close my eyes that I don't open them again. I know this is horrible to say and I really don't care if people judge me or think I'm an idiot & unspiritual...and I know we shouldn't be led by our feelings...but after all this is the thread to VENT,so I am.
Selah.

I am sorry about your situation. I know it feels very uncomfortable and it is hard to hear things like "just have faith" or "stay prayerful" when you need food and shelter to survive. So I will just tell a short story.

About a year and a half ago I was having problems on my job. I was very unhappy and it was starting to effect other areas of my life. I decided to not renew my contract at the end of that year. I had a temp job prepared for the summer but only 6wks long, after that did not have another job to go. Part of me was nervous but soon I began to feel the overwhelming power of God's provision over my life.

I had to think of this in a new way. Sometimes we just want God to fix our problems, repair our issues, but really we don't need a makeover. We need to be rebuilt. And before you build you must take down. And the finished product is way better than any patch work. This rebuilding process can seem very long and painful. You feel like people are judging you. You think others are wondering what you did wrong to end up in that situation. You wonder "why me?"

I am here to tell you do not worry about the judgment that may or may not be. Your sisters and brothers have been there so they don't care whether you did something wrong or not, they are praying for you. And "why you?" Because God has something fantastic for your life that you cannot yet believe. He is giving you more faith and strength. He is equipping you with an awesome testimony so when he does bring you out of this hard time you can say "But God! Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus!"

 

[thimsrebma]

Thank you. I missed y'all.

 

[iTOREtheSKY]

I am sorry about your situation. I know it feels very uncomfortable and it is hard to hear things like "just have faith" or "stay prayerful" when you need food and shelter to survive. So I will just tell a short story.

About a year and a half ago I was having problems on my job. I was very unhappy and it was starting to effect other areas of my life. I decided to not renew my contract at the end of that year. I had a temp job prepared for the summer but only 6wks long, after that did not have another job to go. Part of me was nervous but soon I began to feel the overwhelming power of God's provision over my life.

I had to think of this in a new way. Sometimes we just want God to fix our problems, repair our issues, but really we don't need a makeover. We need to be rebuilt. And before you build you must take down. And the finished product is way better than any patch work. This rebuilding process can seem very long and painful. You feel like people are judging you. You think others are wondering what you did wrong to end up in that situation. You wonder "why me?"

I am here to tell you do not worry about the judgment that may or may not be. Your sisters and brothers have been there so they don't care whether you did something wrong or not, they are praying for you. And "why you?" Because God has something fantastic for your life that you cannot yet believe. He is giving you more faith and strength. He is equipping you with an awesome testimony so when he does bring you out of this hard time you can say "But God! Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus!"

TY for the words of encouragement....all of you who have & those of you who silently pray for me (I know you do). You are the 2nd person in 3 weeks that has said that God has something amazing in store for me and also about the tearing down of things. I guess at this point I have begun to let doubt & fear creep in because things are so down to the wire & every door that looks like a way through,becomes shut. It's so prideful I know,but if I felt physically better,I know I would not be as worried...I would do my own scheme & planning in the back of my mind,thinking all the while God doesn't see my heart or know my thoughts...I would try to do things on my own,my own way,and it's not gonna cut it anymore. I can't ever imagine what good God could use me for at this late stage in my life. I just don't see what I have to offer the body of Christ or the world...in and of my self or even fully walking in God's light. Maybe there's a reason I don't understand yet. Time will tell.

 

[sunnygurl]

My friend ITorethesky, I just firstly want to say it is wonderful that you are back online I missed your humorous postings and upbeat comments.

I do understand the burden you are now bearing and sometimes in the storms of life we sometimes look at the wild weather instead of focusing on our great Redeemer who is moulding and shaping us through the storm. A good example is when Peter walked on the water and when he focused on the storm instead of Jesus he started to sink. It seems God wants more of you to surrender to Him, painful indeed but uplifting and exciting absolutely.
I can understand what you mean about where you are in this stage of life and what use you could be to God. I always think of Moses when these thoughts enter my mind, Moses spent:
- 40yrs thinking he was somebody,(within Pharaoh's kingdom),
- 40yrs learning he was a nobody, (living in the desert)
- 40yrs being used amazingly by God (he finally understood what God can do with a nobody).
My brother God has a great purpose for us the best years are ahead not behind.

The evil one wants us to look at our circumstances and be defeated within them. God wants us to rely on His ability to open the doors that He wants us to walk through and to trust completely in what God can achieve, even though sometimes the hallway is longer than we ever envisioned it to be. You are actively doing all you can to elevate and improve your situation, brother God has your back. God is refining you; as coal becomes diamond under intense heat and pressure God is drawing out your beauty. Trust and rest in the Father, God is the master of all! I pray that God will bring the peace you seek to rest within the palm of His loving arms & hands knowing that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose Romans 8:28. Claim God's breakthrough within your life for God has/is preparing one for you.
Lastly dear friend Put on the full armour of God, Ephesians 6. Whether we realise it or not we are in a battlefield, war is being waged against the children of God . Above all else Guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.

 

[mystdancer50]

OK, my vent -
I have like, a gazillion of them...I'll pick a church one. I feel I am stuck regarding church fellowship. My youngest (12) loves my church and has many relationships there. I have her every other Sunday, so that is where I attend on those days. Most of my friends who remained friends with me after my divorce have moved on to other churches. Though I have made many great friends there since, there are others who I though were my friends who have not said two words to me in years. I used to feel I had a place in music ministry, but a shift in personnel has me out of there at the moment (that is a whole other vent!) Anyway, I feel kind of stuck getting established at a new place when my kid loves my old church so much. Her mother does not attend church at all, so I don't want to disrupt her further by forcing a new church on her.

Hang in there. I believe that God will present the opportunity when the time is right. Have you tried talking to her about it, letting her know how you feel and see if she'd like to try a new church, with the understanding that she can keep the friendships from the other church? My mom was ready to leave our other church for over 3 years before God spoke to me about leaving. My mom just stuck it out. So it was that the Saturday before we left, I told her, "Mom, I just can't work up the energy to go through those doors tomorrow." She was so excited that it surprised and overwhelmed me. We found a new church that Sunday. It was hard to leave, but I know it was what I needed to do for my soul at the time. The point is, I guess, that my mom stayed in a place where she wasn't happy to keep me happy and I don't think that was the best thing for her, but I'm glad she did that for me. I think one of the hardest things is knowing if God wants you to leave a church or not...at least for me. I feel like I have to stick it out until I'm nearly dead before I realize it isn't a healthy place. I am not a church-hopper, so leaving that church a little over 3 years ago was really hard. I lost everyone from that church because they shun people who leave. But, where I am now is way further than I was at then so I know it was for the best. I hope you are able to get it all worked out soon, so you can flourish in God's call for you.

Vent: I am so weary of being friendless in my life. I have been that way for the majority of my life. I had some close friends for a while and that shattered and destroyed my heart. I would rather have never tasted true, godly friendships than to have held them and lost them. I really and truly have no friends, especially my age, and I have aquaintances, but my mom and I share those relationships, and they are more my mom's friends than my own. I really and truly want at least one genuine, godly friendship in my life, someone to edify me and encourage me and strengthen me and confront me when I'm veering off the path. I want the kind of friend that sticks it out, regardless of the storms, and I want to be that kind of friend to her as well. I am just so weary of walking this path without a friend.

 

[iTOREtheSKY]

My friend ITorethesky, I just firstly want to say it is wonderful that you are back online I missed your humorous postings and upbeat comments.

I do understand the burden you are now bearing and sometimes in the storms of life we sometimes look at the wild weather instead of focusing on our great Redeemer who is moulding and shaping us through the storm. A good example is when Peter walked on the water and when he focused on the storm instead of Jesus he started to sink. It seems God wants more of you to surrender to Him, painful indeed but uplifting and exciting absolutely.
I can understand what you mean about where you are in this stage of life and what use you could be to God. I always think of Moses when these thoughts enter my mind, Moses spent:
- 40yrs thinking he was somebody,(within Pharaoh's kingdom),
- 40yrs learning he was a nobody, (living in the desert)
- 40yrs being used amazingly by God (he finally understood what God can do with a nobody).
My brother God has a great purpose for us the best years are ahead not behind.

The evil one wants us to look at our circumstances and be defeated within them. God wants us to rely on His ability to open the doors that He wants us to walk through and to trust completely in what God can achieve, even though sometimes the hallway is longer than we ever envisioned it to be. You are actively doing all you can to elevate and improve your situation, brother God has your back. God is refining you; as coal becomes diamond under intense heat and pressure God is drawing out your beauty. Trust and rest in the Father, God is the master of all! I pray that God will bring the peace you seek to rest within the palm of His loving arms & hands knowing that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose Romans 8:28. Claim God's breakthrough within your life for God has/is preparing one for you.
Lastly dear friend Put on the full armour of God, Ephesians 6. Whether we realise it or not we are in a battlefield, war is being waged against the children of God . Above all else Guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.

Well now I am crying....ty. lol man...wasn't expecting that.