Sick (03/06/16)

Cough. Cough.
Sneeze.
Sorry, guys. I'm sick.
(Friend) "What was that? I couldn't hear between your coughing and sneezing."
Yeah, my voice isn't that good right now either.
(Friend) "What was that again?"
Exactly.

Do you ever get a cold a week or so after you got rid of the last one? My family almost never gets sick, and yet here I am, coughing and only occasionally having a voice.. again. I want to have fun and hang out with my  friends as usual, but what if I get them sick? We can't reschedule school until I get better. That meeting is the first we all could make since December. I'm not really that sick, that I have to miss. It's just a little coughing, that's all.

Are you ever sick of something and feel like this?

This sport used to be fun, but now everyone's too competitive. I don't want to quit or anything, since I'm so far into it. There's so much fun that we can have, I'm just not feeling it right now.

I love going to this, but this person always comes and makes me feel left out. If I stand up for how I feel, it'll look like I'm just attacking that person because of something in our past. If I leave, it will look like I quit because of the people there, and everyone will blame me.

Or even...
I know I have to go to church because it's the right thing to do, but I'm learning absolutely nothing. My family always goes, so if I don't go with them people will single me out, but I'm afraid I'll get someone else sick of going, too, since I always say such negative things.

What do you do? Do you wait it out? Leave? Make excuses?

I can't help you with this. It's a delicate situation, and each time there needs to be a unique course of action. Sometimes it's best to talk to someone with whom you have an issue, and sometimes it may be best to leave and ignore what people say about you. If your passion leaves, you shouldn't have to keep going doing what you hate. Just hang in there.

With issues of spirituality, though, I may be able to help a little more. Talk to a core member of your church. Maybe your church isn't offering what you need spiritually. Maybe you need to get involved in spiritual activities outside of church, like Bible studies and small groups. Maybe there are many other people in your church that feel the same way and you can be the force of action to help them (and yourself) go places you never knew possible in the faith. Church isn't just a place you go every Sunday just to feel good about yourself and rack up weekly spirituality points. You have to be involved as well.

But the one thing you should always do? (Supposing that you are a Christian, of course.)

Pray. If it's anything you don't feel like you can handle on your own, then you probably can't. Ask for guidance, seek it in the Word, and never cease to pray.

And pretty soon, you'll stop coughing and regain your voice.