As some of you may know, I am a Sunday school teacher in addition to my day job. I've always enjoyed it, and considered it a big responsibility, but the enormity of it all really hit me today.
My minister was speaking to me today about how it's good that I'm a positive male role model to the kids. I'm the only male teacher, and the minister is also female. Several of the kids are going through a lot of difficult times in their lives with relation to their fathers. Some of them lack positive male influence in their lives. This has really been coming out lately...three sisters who recently joined openly said their father abandoned them and their mother not too long ago. Another little girl is at the center of a custody dispute between her parents that has turned very, very ugly.
My heart goes out to all of them. I want to do my best to provide support, love, and guidance to all of them...but it's difficult. I feel so much pressure to do the right thing. I don't want to be a bad role model for the kids, but my faith wavers at times. I don't know why it hit me so hard today. I think it was seeing how much these kids are going through, how horribly they are being treated by the people they love, and still they're some of the best kids I've known.
I feel like God has given me a task, here...to do right by these kids who have a huge void in their lives. I pray for guidance...
I'm not sure if I can do things the right way. I don't even feel like I'm a good Christian, let alone a good teacher of the faith...
I just needed to get this off my chest. Thanks to anybody who reads this.

I won't lie, my friend, I don't personally believe there's a plan in place for all of us. I respect that you do, but the problem with that belief is that it puts a lot more responsibility on the shoulders of people like yourself.

Where you might feel extra bad, I might just feel bad and I wouldn't lose much sleep. You might feel like God has put you in that position just to help these people but when that sometimes fails, you feel like you've failed not only the people it affected but also God.

That's a lot of burden to bear. I'm not saying stop believing (not here, anyway. in the debate thread, it's no holds barred), but I am saying that it's not your fault these things go the way they do. If you had more control over the individual situations, you might be held accountable but there's no possible way for you to do that. Instead, you should focus on doing what you can and focus on doing it well. That's all anyone could ask of you, including the big dude in the sky.