I am really scared?

Question

I am a lapsed Catholic in the midst of returning to the Church, and after years of dismissing Catholicism as pure folly, I've come to embrace it, albeit with some reservations (like, I've yet to think over the concept of angels entirely).

Today, it finally hit me for the first time in my life that God is real, and so is Heaven and Hell. I understand, thanks to my chaplain/theology instructor, that it is very real and very serious business and that it will happen and that I cannot escape it. I am now very scared because I know that I am not at all like what God wants me to be, and even if I were to repent all of my sins and become a saint, I still would not be worthy of God. I REALLY want God, but I cannot honestly say that I want Him more than anything else, and I do not have a personal relationship with Him. I am so scared that I will not be able to establish a good relationship with Him and I will go to Hell, and that would obviously be rotten.

What to do? Serious answers only!

Wow, thank you all for your outpouring of helpful and kind answers! May God bless you all.

Answer 1

Christianity does not demand that you be perfect, but that you honor the Great Commandment to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself. All "sin" falls into violation of one or the other of those things.

God asks that you try, rather than demanding you succeed. We were given many examples of less than perfect behavior and even of doubt.

To list a few, first think of Jesus when he heard that Lazarus, his friend, had died. He wept and was sorrowful. Now, knowing that death is not the end of us, and also knowing that God can reverse even death, why would he grieve in perfect faith and trust?

When Jesus encountered the moneychangers in the Temple, he bascially lost his temper in "righteous indignation" and trashed the place.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asked not to be put to the test, and on the cross, he cried out that God had forsaken him.

Yet we know that Jesus was as good a person as can exist. Being loved by God is not limited to the perfect few, but guaranteed to all. And forgiveness is central to the Good News. It's about offering what you have, not what you or someone else thinks you should have.

What may help is a serious one on one talk with your priest or spiritual advisor. You might also see if another branch of Christianity is a better match with your beliefs and needs.

Another thing is to consider comtemplative prayer, in which instead of worrying about specific issues and answers, you become still and open, and listen instead of asking.

Live the best life that you can, being kind to yourself and others. No loving God would burn you in hell for that.

Answer 2

Wow.

Sounds to me like you already have a very strong relationship with God, you just haven't embraced it yet.

Of course God is real and He believes in you. Why do you think you have come full circle and returned to your Church? You don't think that was an "accident" do you?

Stop worrying so much and relax.The odds of an ordinary person becoming a saint are tremendously long; all you can do, really, is try to be the best person you can be and let God fill in the details. Let the plan that has already been set in motion for you unfold and stop beating yourself up so much.

And if you were such a rotten sinner, you wouldn't be feeling the remorse and worry that you are going through now; a really evil person just doesn't have that in their psychological make up. They are blind to their own badness.

I believe that angels are real and they are with you every step of the way; all you have to do is call on them to help you with the doubts and they will be there for you. As someone else here said,"Ask and ye shall receive".

You are on a wonderful journey. Try to relax and enjoy the ride.

All will be well.

Merry Christmas to you and Peace.

"Just call on me and I'll send it along, with love, from me to you..."

Answer 3

God is your friend. Hell won't occur until the end of the world. God will not eternally torture unrepentant sinners, however the death that occurs in Hell is permanent and that is why the words eternal and for ever and ever are used in the Bible to describe hell. Purgatory does not exist and is not in the Bible. You can pray only to God and you can ask Him for forgiveness in the name of Jesus Christ. The Bible and the Bible alone is your rule of faith. Man's traditions that go against the Bible are false and should not be honored no matter what the church says.

The seventh day of the week which is Saturday is the Sabbath of the true 4th commandment. Sunday is the first day of the week and is not the Sabbath.

If you want to learn truth, study the Bible with the help of amazingfacts.org.

Answer 4

Do not be afraid. That is what Jesus said. Not every human is to work in a church 24/7 to please God. If, in your heart, you now know you have turned around all the way and are facing God and back on the right path, you will finish the course, as planned. The more you understand, the more dependent you are on God. Sometimes this will take time, such as a human lifetime. What to do? You're doing it. Stay on the path and know that hell is forever behind you.

Answer 5

Certainly if you are Catholic, you are familiar with absolution, i.e. the forgiveness of sins through confession? You cannot change the past, but if there are things in your past that you are not proud of, sincerely confessing and repenting wipes those sins off your record, so to speak. At least as I understand Catholic doctrine.

The other part is being a good person going forward. But I would recommend that whether you believe in an afterlife or not.

Answer 6

first of all let me say this u have no reason to be scared. The kewl thing about God is He loves us just as we are right now. Some people fall into this trap as to thinking I have to get better do more or whatever for God to love me. So not true. He loved me when I was cursing and hating HIM. (am now living for Him).
You can tell from what u said that the Holy Spirit is dealing with your heart. All u have to do is repent (meaning turning away from your sins) and ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior and start living for God. It's really easy. God loves u so much.
if u want to talk more email me [e-mail]
will be praying for u God bless u

Answer 7

Pray with an honest heart for the Lord to reveal himself to you. To baptise you with his Holy Spirit and to take control of your life. Jesus died for our sins, the entire sins of the entire world. The sins of the past and of the future. With His sacrifice that was given willingly and obediently, the price was paid IN FULL. That means you don't have to do anything to make up for our sin nature but ask for forgiveness when you realize you've done them. Now, true seekers of Christ won't seek to sin and then ask forgiveness as a loophole to do what they want. You must be reborn through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit where God comes to dwell within you. You will become a new person mentally and spiritually, seeking to please God in all areas of your life. The Holy Spirit will be there to guide you to show you His will for everything you do.

Answer 8

None of us will ever be "worthy" of God. Stop trying to be perfect. God seeks a relationship with you just as you are, and accepts you as a sinner as long as you truly seek forgiveness. By Christ dying on the cross, God had him take the punishment for the sins we all committ, you too. We will still sin but through Jesus we are still allowed a relationship w/ God. Seek God and listen to Him when he responds however He chooses to respond. Remember He loves you first and desires a relationship with you. Good luck, God bless! Your heart is where it should be.

Answer 9

What I understand is that you don't need to be scared!!
you are only human & the main thing is that you strive to be good etc & its impossible to be perfect because you are not God you are a human & you will make many mistakes & God knows that no man can ever be sin free but he will know if your heart is in the right place just do your best & you wont go to hell

Answer 10

first of all federick i went through the same problem u did a yr ago. I had a lot of sins and i had faith in Godbut it just wasnt all there "u know what i mean" i asked God for forgiveness. it took me sometime to get use to the fact that i had a one on one discussion with him. God understands ur fears and ur reasonings. he is happy ur comming back to him. repent and give it some time. he will welcome u back with a smile and arms wide open to come home. you'll be judged the same as me as well as other people. dont worry. if u believe, and r trully sorry for ur sins u will live everlastinng life. IT SAYS IT CLEAR IN THE BIBLE! Dont worry he is a understandin God full of forgiveness and love