Christian peeps......I am just overwhelmed with sadness.....

The bible is filled with passages about suffering. The world is filled with suffering. But even in the most tragic events, some good comes out of it. Just by sharing what you saw, will encourage others to volunteer, or check up on the elderly.

I don't have an answer for you, but I want you to know you are not alone. I was a youth ministry leader for over 6 years and dealt with many, many, many sad and inexplicable circumstances and situations that just ripped my heart out.

Many around me would respond with scripture quotes and the old familiar phrases that are meant to comfort, but only frustrated and agitated me even more.

I have since left the church, greatly because of not being comforted, feeling reassured or finding solace in this "wisdom" or scripture.

Again, not the answer you're looking for and I'm sure I'm going to get slammed for saying this. I'm at a crossroads right now, but have actually felt more comfort and peace in letting go of believing that there is a God who is capable of dealing with pain and suffering, yet seemingly is choosing not to intervene, and starting to accept that maybe things just are what they are, doing what I can to help, no matter how small or insignificant my efforts may seem.

You're not alone.

I understand how you feel. The uncertainty of our futures as we age can be stressful. It's awful to imagine eventually being solely dependent on the care and kindness of others around us.

I have a friend who had these kind of frustrations and decided that any positive acts, even very small ones, would help her balance her outlook about the world. So every day she'd look for 3 things she could do to help others: help make up someone's change needed at the store, take fruit or cookies to a neighbor, smile and wave at the people on the sidewalk, etc

It may sound trite to do this, but at the end of each day she could actually measure somewhat her positive contribution to a world that needs more kindness. There will always be suffering, our part is try not to ever cause it, and perhaps counteract it if possible.

The world is both great and terrible and it's people who make it that way. It sounds like you really have a heart for the elderly. You are making a difference in the lives of those who you volunteer with and you can encourage others to volunteer, and the circle continues to grow. Reading your OP, it sounds like this sadness has overtaken your life, and you should talk with someone about some coping skills for that. Talking to people about how sad it is working with the elderly is not going to bring a lot of people to your cause. There are so many positives to focus on which will encourage more people to get involved. But you will never help everyone. There will always be someone being abused, someone hungry, someone in pain. You do make a difference. God has made us His hands and feet in this world, just continue to do what you are doing, but please get help with your sadness.

Scrappintoee, I try very hard to be positive, and look for the positives in my life. However, I think it is our human nature to give in to the negative, and wonder why a loving God allows the suffering we see and experience here on earth. Do the best I can, make a conscious effort to help others, be kind and pray are the things that I try to focus on. You are not alone!

As someone who is in seminary, preparing for ministry, I can tell you that many pastors and ministers and other people who work in and around the church feel the same way, and in many ways it is what drives us to minister. And so we all go to seminary, and one of the first things we learn is what our own capabilities are, and our own limitations. We call it self-care. We learn, in order to avoid burn-out, what area we each desire to work in, and what areas we simply can't work in. I'll give an example: my mother passed away six years ago from cancer. Hospice care, while it was an amazingly wonderful thing that helped our family so much, but it overwhelms me and I cannot function in a hospice environment. Many other wonderful people do amazing things in hospice environment, but that is not me. And that is ok. That is my personal limitation in ministry.

I tell you this first off, to commend you for volunteering and for caring and simply for being aware. So many people go through this life completely unaware and blind to the suffering. You see it, and you feel compassion. Perhaps God gave you that compassion because God weeps with us over the suffering of humanity, and I believe God calls us to be partners with God, to help alleviate where we can.

That being said, I am also reminded of Mother Teresa, who said something to the effect that you cannot heal everyone on this earth, and you cannot solve every problem on this earth, but you can help the person who is in front of you. And that, my friend, makes the biggest difference of all.

Can I encourage you in two ways? - First, if you are looking for ways to volunteer, find something that does not make you feel so drained. There are so many opportunities where hope abounds (not saying that assisted living isn't filled with hope - it simply sounds like for you, you are struggling, and that is ok!) and where you leave feeling like you made a difference. Working with children, or women, might be an option? Advocacy also is a great way to make systemic changes, especially where you see injustices. Second, do as others have suggested and work on your own feelings in all of this. It's tough, I know, and I too struggle so much with the suffering of this world. So much of what you wrote I could have written myself. :-) You are what we call "wounded healer" - you have seen the suffering and experienced the suffering, and wish to do something about it.

Thank you for writing your feelings, you have spoken to each one of us. :-)

Another one that this post speaks to. I just try hard to put it in God's hands and trust him. I try to not hold onto those feelings. Like the quote about Mother Theresa that Scrap4nick shared, I try to help the one in front of me, and try hard not to take on the burdens of the world.

http://www.amazon.com/Question-That-Never-Goes-Away/dp/0310339820

Yours is The Question-That-Never-Goes-Away. I love the book by Philip Yancy with that same name. That might be a good place for you to start. 

Oprah's 'Gratitude Journal" project has helped me in the past, too, when I get overwhelmed. 

My dd sent this scripture to me and her sisters today. Her 20 yo son was murdered last year and she is daily seeking comfort to just survive every day. Romans 8

17 And since we are his children, we will share his treasures—for all God gives to his Son Jesus is now ours too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later. 19 For all creation is waiting patiently and hopefully for that future day when God will resurrect his children. 20-21 For on that day thorns and thistles, sin, death, and decay—the things that overcame the world against its will at God’s command—will all disappear, and the world around us will share in the glorious freedom from sin which God’s children enjoy.

22 For we know that even the things of nature, like animals and plants, suffer in sickness and death as they await this great event. 23 And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us—bodies that will never be sick again and will never die.

24 We are saved by trusting. And trusting means looking forward to getting something we don’t yet have—for a man who already has something doesn’t need to hope and trust that he will get it. 25 But if we must keep trusting God for something that hasn’t happened yet, it teaches us to wait patiently and confidently.

26 And in the same way—by our faith—the Holy Spirit helps us with our daily problems and in our praying. For we don’t even know what we should pray for nor how to pray as we should, but the Holy Spirit prays for us with such feeling that it cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows, of course, what the Spirit is saying as he pleads for us in harmony with God’s own will. 28 And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.

29 For from the very beginning God decided that those who came to him—and all along he knew who would—should become like his Son, so that his Son would be the First, with many brothers. 30 And having chosen us, he called us to come to him; and when we came, he declared us “not guilty,” filled us with Christ’s goodness, gave us right standing with himself, and promised us his glory.

31 What can we ever say to such wonderful things as these? If God is on our side, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son for us but gave him up for us all, won’t he also surely give us everything else?

35 Who then can ever keep Christ’s love from us? When we have trouble or calamity, when we are hunted down or destroyed, is it because he doesn’t love us anymore? And if we are hungry or penniless or in danger or threatened with death, has God deserted us?

36 No, for the Scriptures tell us that for his sake we must be ready to face death at every moment of the day—we are like sheep awaiting slaughter; 37 but despite all this, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who loved us enough to die for us. 38 For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels won’t, and all the powers of hell itself cannot keep God’s love away. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, 39 or where we are—high above the sky, or in the deepest ocean—nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ when he died for us.

I am so sorry you are going through this. I often feel this way myself. I just have to remind myself that we live in a very, very broken place.

I often think that God shows me these things to help me see the world through His eyes, to remind me to be compassionate and loving and giving. To basically remind me that I am supposed to be the hands and feet of Jesus. It isn't easy, and it leads me often to despair at the state of things.

You are a kind, giving, loving person and that is a good thing! I agree that perhaps you should visit with a Christian counselor if it is becoming too much for you to bear. But I also want to encourage you that it is ok to step back if you need a break. Also, when you are feeling overwhelmed by the hopelessness of it all, turn to prayer.

I know it isn't easy. I will be praying for you!

There will always be suffering but it doesn't mean we stop doing our part to improve life for as many people as we can. Mother Teresa said "if you can't feed a thousand, feed one."

The Bible says to cherish your suffering and know that God redeems our pain and tears.

When I look back across my 42 years, the times of suffering, difficulty and pain are also the times of growth and faith and life lessons learned and family bonds strengthened.

I realize you're looking for a spiritual answer, but please don't ignore the fact there might be a chemical imbalance somewhere that you need medication for. Might be a good idea to get a physical and let your doctor know about this profound sadness you are experiencing. It seems like you are taking on way too much responsibility for the world. You can't fix everything, but you can make a difference in the lives of some elderly folks, or people in the hospital who don't have family to visit them.....baby steps.