By Fr. Andrew Lemeshonok
I remember being
asked, “There are certain times in my life when I feel depressed, when it’s
hard for me to pray, when my mind wanders around. What would you recommend
doing in those moments? How do I deal with those emotional states?”
Everyone has
moments when life becomes too hard to tolerate… I have heard about and used the
following method: just drink some tea and eat something. The pain will become
less excruciating. Or have some sleep. I’m not talking of the cases when you
simply have to overcome yourself and not pay attention to your ego. There are
moments in your life when you’re really on the edge, when you’re so stressed
out… That was what Father Sophrony (Sakharov) told a hierodeacon from Mt. Athos
in response to a similar question: “Stand on the edge but when you can’t any
longer, go drink some tea.” A person needs some relief. If you bend something
over all the time, you can break it. That’s why you need reckoning. If you
don’t tie yourself up in this condition and ask for advice, then God through a
priest (or if there isn’t any priest around, through some Christian person)
will tell you what to do to stop being desperate. “Keep your mind in hell but
don’t give up” — that’s the motto of our life.
We constantly live
on the edge of life and death. On the one hand, the old self must die. On the
other hand, the new self must be born. This process is painful and troublesome
sometimes. That is why I wish us all to have enough humility, patience, and,
most importantly, trust in God. The Lord never abandons us under any
circumstances and in any situation. He is always near. You simply have to keep
your eyes and your hearts wide open and pray to God. God
will surely answer you.
December
7, 2018
St. Elisabeth Convent
CONVERSATION