My life is a mess

Dear Pastor,

This is my first time writing to you and I am a little bit nervous, but it's not like you know why I am laughing.

Anyway, I am a 17-year-old girl, and ever since my dad died, it's like I don't get around well. It is like I can't do things on my own.

I don't know what the future holds, but I am worried about it. I am afraid to plan my life. I don't know if this sounds weird, but I really stay awake just thinking about the way my dad died and whether it was my fault because that's how it seems.

I hated going to school because I didn't have a lot of friends. To them, I was weird. I mean, it's not like I am this hideous person, I just don't talk a lot, and it's kind of hard to make friends. the other thing is, I didn't go to school regularly because of money issues, which I understood because my mom was a single mother, and I tried to put my sisters first, like letting them go to school instead of me because I was an easy learner.

I can't please people, but I feel alone even when I am surrounded by others. I feel like my life is just a one-day thing because every day is the same. nothing changes.

I worry about my life because I am also a sick person. I am always feeling ill, and that leaves me wondering whether I will get better.

H.S.

Dear H.S.,

Without a doubt, you need professional help. You are evidently very depressed. That is why you feel as if you are alone in the world. The truth is, however, you are not alone.

Perhaps you were very close to your father, and now that he has died, you wonder what part you played in his life that might have contributed to his death.

You might be blaming yourself for something over which you had no control.

You are an intelligent girl. You put others before yourself. Even on the matter of attending school, you allow your siblings to go while you stay home.

God will bless you by providing for you. You are only 17, and in God's time, he will make a way for you so that you will be able to attend school regularly. he will lead you into a good profession so that you will be able to take care of yourself and even help your mother and your siblings more.

I want you to take pride in yourself. You give the impression that people don't think highly of you. It is not what people think about you that is important. it is what you think of yourself. Nobody in this world is better than you. You may have problems now, but please, understand that just about everybody in the world has problems that they have to deal with.

Believe me, some of the problems that they have are much greater than yours. So hear me: put your life in God's hand.

Read your Bible, and pray every day. God can turn your life around if you trust him. I will be remembering you in prayer.

Make an appointment to see a family counsellor, and do so soon. If you believe I can be of further help to you, call my office and make an appointment to see me. The office number is (876) 929-1667 or (876) 877-1009.

Pastor