Remember
that you get enough power to carry your tomorrow’s cross, not today’s cross.
There was a deeply depressed man who complained of his numerous troubles to a
friend of his and said, “Why am I so miserable?” — “That's because you've
picked both your current burden and your future burden, too. And you carry both
burdens using your own power, not God’s.”
One's own
power is helpless and puts you down; God's power is omnipotent and raises you
up.
The Price of Obedience
A
believer was being interrogated by a middle-aged KGB officer. The KGB officer
could not succeed in talking the believer into cooperation with the “organs”.
– Let's
be frank, – the officer said. – What has your God who you so fanatically
believe in given you? You have a big family, your kids walk around in shreds,
your wife is giving birth every couple of years, but you are so stubborn! Don't
you know that you may not even get out of here?! Who will feed your family?
Just sign this paper, and your life will change. You'll have a decent job,
income, and respect. You'll be able to send your children to college.
– All
right, I agree, – the believer replied,
– but I'd like to ask for something in return.
– What
exactly?
– Do you
have kids?
– Yes, I
do. My son is 21. How is that relevant?
– So.
You'll let me torture your son to death, and you won't punish me for it. On the
contrary, you will forgive me. Then you'll say that you love me and promise me
to protect my family round the clock and help me with everything I'll ever
need. You'll grant me eternal life and raise your son from the dead to make me
believe your promises. If you do all those things, I swear that I'll do
anything you want. Moreover, I'll call you my lord publicly and even sacrifice
my life for you, if necessary.
The
officer heard all that and was silent for a long time. Then he rose from his
chair and said:
– Sorry
for my silly offer. You are free to go.
Jeweller's Treasures
The
Blessed Abba Zosimas retold a story he had heard from someone:
“There
was a jeweller who took his precious stones and pearls and embarked on a ship
together with his aides to go to a foreign land and sell them. God made it that
he fell in love with a young sailor who became his aide, ate and drank with
him. One day, the young sailor overheard other sailors conspiring to throw the
jeweller into the sea and take his precious stones. The young sailor came to
the noble jeweller to serve him as usual. The jeweller asked the young man:
– Why are
you so sad today?
– No no,
I'm okay.
The
jeweller insisted:
– Come
on, tell me what's wrong with you.
The young
sailor burst out crying and told the jeweller that the other sailors had
conspired against him. The jeweller asked:
– Is that
true?
He swore
that that was exactly what the other sailors had been whispering about.
The
jeweller called his aides and told them:
– Do
whatever I tell you immediately.
He spread
a piece of cloth and ordered:
– Bring
my bags of precious jewels.
And so
they did. He opened the bags and started laying the jewels out on the cloth.
When he was done, that’s what he said:
– Is that
what a human life is worth? Is it the reason why I am fearful when I struggle
against the sea, and why I will soon die without taking anything out of this
world? – And he ordered his aides: – Throw everything into the sea!
All his treasures
sank into the sea. The sailors were stupefied, and ditched their plans.”
Blessed
Zosimas summarized this story: “Note that as soon as he started thinking about
death, he immediately became a philosopher in his words and actions in order to
rescue his tiny little life. And he was right. He thought, “If I die, what use
will I have for all those jewels?” Unlike him, we don’t want to suffer for the
sake of the Lord’s commandments at all.
If there
is anything worth feeling sad about, let us feel sad about the death of the
person who harmed us, not the fact that we lose some of our possessions.”
The Great Paterikon
The Road to the Sea
There was
a young man in a poor hamlet. Like all other residents of that dying hamlet, he
spent all his days idling meaninglessly. One day, he had a dream about the sea.
No one in the hamlet had ever seen the sea, and no one knew what it was like.
When the
young man announced that he planned to set out to search for the sea he had
seen in his dream, everyone thought that he was nuts. He left the hamlet anyway
and spent several days walking until he found himself at a crossroads. He chose
the middle road and arrived at a rich village in a couple of days. The young
man told the locals that he was looking for the sea, and they started
persuading him not to waste his time but instead stay in that village and lead
a peaceful and happy life like they did.
He obeyed
them and spent several years in that village. One night, he had a dream about
the sea again. He recalled his unfulfilled dream and decided to leave his house
in the village and go on traveling again. He said goodbye and went back to the
crossroads. This time, he took another road. He walked and walked for a long
time until he finally saw a big city. He liked the city and decided to spend
some time there. The young man studied, worked, and had fun with his friends in
the city for many years. Finally, he forgot about his initial destination.
Several
years later, when he was a grown-up man already, he saw the sea in his dream
again. He thought to himself that if he didn’t fulfill the dream of his youth,
his life would pass in vain. That was why he returned to the crossroads and
chose the third road, which led him into a dense forest. He saw a small hut on
a forest glade and a mature but beautiful woman hanging over the laundry. She
invited him to stay with her because her husband had gone to war and did not
come back. The man agreed.
They
spent a happy life together and raised their kids. One day, the now elderly man
had a dream about the sea again. He abandoned his home and family and ran back
to the crossroads. This time, he chose the last path, which he had never taken
before. The path was steep and rocky. It took him a lot of effort to climb it.
The old
man found himself at the bottom of a huge mountain. He decided to climb that
mountain hoping to see the sea from his dreams at least at a distance. Several
hours later, completely exhausted, the man reached the mountain top. He saw
incredibly far: the man could see the crossroads, the rich village, the big
city, and the hut of the woman with whom he had spent many happy years. What is
more, he could finally see the boundless blue sea on the horizon.
Just a
moment before his battered heart stopped beating, the weeping old man found out
that all the roads that he had taken led to the sea but he had never walked any
of them to the end…
...And said to his servant, Go up now, look
toward the sea (1 Kings 18:43)
On Reading the Word of God
A monk
came to his spiritual father and said, “Father, I will stop reading the Word of
God.” “Why?” the elder asked. “I can’t understand it,” the monk replied. “Son,”
the elder told him, “When sheep find a good meadow, they grab the grass
greedily and swallow it, doing all they can to get more of it. They start
chewing the grass only after they’ve already eaten enough. Likewise, as long as
you have enough time and opportunity, read the sacred texts as often as you can
and don’t be lazy, and sooner or later you will figure out their meaning. You
will either understand it due to lots of practice or learn from the Holy
Fathers, or, if there is no one there to interpret it to you, the Lord himself
will enlighten you.”
Archpriest V. Guriev. Prologue
An elder
once said:
– Anyone
who believes that he can comprehend God’s Mysteries through scientific theories
is like a fool who wants to see the paradise through a telescope. You can’t wed
the Gospel with the common sense because common sense is based on profit,
whereas the Gospel is based on love.
Translated from: azbyka.ru/days
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