Surrounded

                Historically speaking, the historic Christian Church speaks about being surrounded in two ways. First, as is mentioned in Holy Scripture, we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. This is referring to everyone who is part of the people of God, either physically alive or reposed. This concept is clearly seen in the use of icons in the Church for the last twenty centuries. Acknowledging and using icons in the Church services and in prayer communicates the truth that those who have physically reposed are still part of the one, true, holy, apostolic Church.

               Second, all of mankind is constantly surrounded by angelic powers and by demonic powers. The angelic powers are present to protect us, guard us, and drive away the attacks of the evil ones. When a man sins, he is creating a barrier between himself and the angelic powers. Sin is something that goodness, holiness, and purity cannot stand to see or face. The idea that sin is contrary to life, contrary to holiness, and contrary to pursing the path of that which is good, right, and true needs to be kept in the forefront of one’s mind.

               Even now as you are reading this, you are surrounded by the people of God, either physically alive or physically reposed. You are also surrounded by angelic powers who are seeking to protect you and guard you from the attacks of evil. You are also surrounded by demonic powers who will use every opportunity to corrupt you and drive you toward wicked behavior, wicked thoughts, and wicked words.

               Think of your mind like a funnel, into which demonic powers will try to cast ugly, sinful, and corrupt thoughts in an effort to keep you away from holiness, to keep you away from developing a loving relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Do not allow anyone or anything to move you away from holiness, move you away from love and move you toward that which is ugly, perverse, and corrupt.

               Life is a constant battle, a constant war, and unending temptation to do what is contrary to human life. Man was not made to sin, made was made to love God, to love his neighbor, and to do good to those around him. Think of sin like you think of fast food, it provides nothing of value for you, for those around you, or any benefit for you in the long term. Yes, the desire to do something may sound appealing in the moment, but the long-term impact of doing something morally wrong will drive you further away from the Holy Trinity, creating a barrier and a distance between you and our Savior. 

Death of a Loved One

 

                Most of us have gone through the suffering of losing a loved one, physical death means permanent separation from someone we love, someone whose company we enjoy, and the recurring emptiness of their absence. In most cases, when someone we love physically dies, the suffering we experience is based on selfishness, on not being able to interact with them any longer, but in some cases, when someone passes, we understand that their sudden departure is a means for their suffering to come to an end.

               From a Christian perspective, when death takes someone, it is never incidental or accidental, everyone has “x” amount of days to live and the number of those days is different for everyone. If we step away from our own selfish grief, we may recognize and understand that our loved one has departed because it was the right time for them to transition into eternity.

               In some cases, we may see our loved one begin down a self-destructive path, and when their time finally comes when they cease to physically exist, we should see that everything is better for them to make that transition at this moment, rather than continuing to suffer, to be overwhelmed with grief, or to continue to descend into loss and despair.

               Everyone makes choices in life, choices that directly impact the quality of their existence, and the number of days that they have to continue living and hopefully continue being loving, productive, and positively impacting those around them. When someone begins making choices in isolation, they may make bad choices which will negatively impact them, and the lives of those around them.

               One’s use of time, one’s use of substances, and one’s use of people will all directly impact their life, the lives of those who love them, and the potential for continued positive impact on their social circles. Life needs to be seen as a time when we can pursue holiness, pursue love, and help those around us. One’s life is a time for repentance, so that one does not continue building up a mountain of corruption, hatred, ugliness, and sin, all of which will pollute one’s life and negatively impact those around him.

The historic Christian faith understands and promotes the idea of using one’s time to struggle against sin, to struggle against those things that will make one’s life continually dark and corrupt. The more one repents, the better one’s life will be as he continues down the path in the pursuit of holiness.

Through Suffering

 

The metaphor of the athlete is often used to describe the value of struggle, of suffering, and of hard work to accomplish a goal. Anyone with common sense, with the ability to think clearly, and the ability to see the consequences of one’s actions will understand that in order to reach a goal you have set for yourself, working hard, gaining knowledge, gaining understanding and gaining wisdom are requirements for success.

To successfully complete running a marathon, one must exercise and practice for months or years in advance. To succeed in any sporting event or any athletic endeavor one must practice, rehearse, work hard, and struggle against the desire to take the easy path. To succeed as a musician, as a vocalist, or in any other field of choice, great effort, struggle, and passion are required to be acknowledged and recognized as one worthy of attention.

When a challenge works its way into our life, into our path, or within our mind, we need to understand the challenge, understand the consequences of not dealing with or conquering the challenge if we are hoping to be successful. Taking control of our bodies, forcing ourselves to not take the easy path of laziness or distraction is difficult work to achieve.

Our minds are like our bodies in this same regard. Think of your mind like a funnel, if someone throws something at you, the natural response is to try to avoid being hit by the projectile. Too often most people will embrace whatever thought comes into their mind, run with it, dwell on it, and make it the bulk of their attention.

Even better, when corrupt, perverse, ugly, or illegal thoughts come into our minds, we need to redirect our thoughts onto something good, right, and beautiful so that we are not willfully corrupting ourselves. Very much like our diet, if we want to be healthy, we eat fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, low salt, low fat, and high-quality food. A steady diet of fast food, snacks, and soda will not lead to a strong, healthy body.

Be thoughtful, be wise, and be intelligent about what you allow to take control of your mind, your heart, and your attention. Seek after that which is good, right, and beautiful. It is through hard work, struggle, and suffering that we will become better, stronger, and wiser. Success does not come from taking the easy path, the lazy path, or a life of distraction.

Not Immortal

 

                Despite our best intentions, no one will live forever on this earth. At some point in one’s life, our mortal bodies begin to slow down, wear out, and drift toward an unavoidable end. Our metabolism slows down, we begin to gain weight, we lose muscle mass and we cannot do the things we did when we were in our twenties and thirties.

               Time has a frightening way of catching up with us. At best, each person may live to reach one hundred years or possibly one hundred and twenty. Staying active, staying attentive, and always adding to our pool of learning, we can continue to be good, holy, and righteous people, making sacrifices for those we love, and for those we do not know.

               Learning to be humble, learning to put others first, and thinking better of others than we think of ourselves will lead us down the right path. Focusing on and feeding our lust for power, our lust for pleasure, and our desire to be comfortable will not bring us to where we need to be to be prepared for eternity.

               We need to remember to live in the present, to live in the moment, and to always speak with kindness, with love, with compassion, and with the goal of making the lives of others better than it is at the current moment. If we focus on being good right now, being holy right now, and seeking after beauty and truth, we are pushing ourselves toward that which is for our benefit and the benefit of others.

               The manner that we shape our hearts, our thinking, and our passions will determine our final outcome and the state we will experience in eternity. If we focus on pleasure, on comfort, and on distraction while we live on this earth, we will find that our eternity will be miserable, as we have neglected to pursue the love of holiness and beauty.

               Learning from those who lived lives of holiness before us, will make our lives better, will make our eternity better, and will make us a valuable contributor to those around us. Do not let yourself be distracted by the silliness and inanity of your current culture, focus on truth, on beauty, on holiness, and on righteousness. Love God, love your neighbor, and pursue holiness.

Changing Trajectory

 

                Being brutally honest about your state of mind, the state of your heart, and the path you are currently traveling is rare to find in someone. A really good approach to documenting yourself, what you think about, what you fabricate in your heart and mind, is to write these things down when they come to you. This is a frightening practice to undertake, to see in writing what goes on in your mind, what you enjoy thinking about, and how you spend your time.

               Another good approach to understanding reality is to visit places that are stricken with poverty, immersed in corruption, and socially/culturally failing. We can look at others, see the choices they make, and know that these choices will often lead to failure. Does the image we create for others to see align with what actually goes on in our hearts and minds?

               One can or should visit those in prison to see what life choices will lead to, result in, and end with. Are our thoughts good, right and beautiful, or are they corrupt, perverse, and ugly. Anyone who is reasonable will not act on whatever thoughts come into their minds, if these thoughts are criminal. Find those in the past and those around you who are wise, and imitate them, so that you do not end up destroying everything you have built this far into your life.

               If you are honest with yourself, and you can see the likely end result of continuing on the path you currently tread, then change your thoughts, change your words, and change your actions so that you reach a good and positive end. It is not difficult to study the lives of others who have succeeded as they travel through life, doing so should create a new mindset in us, that will draw us away from failure and corruption.

               If you are struggling to find a good end or path for yourself, seek help from those older and wiser than you. Another good step to take is to identify and articulate how you want to enjoy the final years of your life. When this is in place, make changes to your current path so that you can achieve this end. All of our thoughts, our words, and our actions are under our control, but sometimes circumstances take place of which we cannot change. Do what you can to make yourself good, right, and true, don’t simply be a victim of your circumstances.

The Result of Your Efforts

 

As was stated many years ago, for every action there is a reaction, this is true in the physical world and is also true in the mental and emotional worlds. When you release something from your grip, it will fall to the ground and if it is designed in a certain way, it will possibly bounce back up toward you. The thoughts that pass through your mind and how you respond to those thoughts will have a direct impact upon the quality of your heart, soul and life.

A famous and holy monk once said that thoughts are like airplanes flying overhead, you can choose to pay attention to them, dwell on them and allow them to distract you from whatever it is that you were currently doing. Or even better yet, you can ignore those thoughts that draw you toward that which is dark and evil, which will be to your benefit.

The words you speak to others will have a direct impact upon those who hear you speak, if your words are good, beautiful and encouraging then speak them but withhold your opinions about the behavior of others, especially if they have not asked for your opinion or input in that regard.

The actions that you take will be influenced and directed by the thoughts that you choose to fill your head, the words that emerge from your mouth whether spoken to others or spoken only to yourself. Be focused and thoughtful about what you think, what you speak, and what you do, be considerate of the consequences of your thoughts, words, and actions.

Whatever you think, say, or do will lead you down a certain path. Gain wisdom and direction from those who are wiser than you, who have more experience than you, and who can help you move toward success and joy. When you plant a tree, that tree will bear fruit based on its genetic makeup, if you plant flowers, fruits, or vegetables, these will produce according to their kind.

Your thoughts, your words, and your actions will produce something as well, depending on what they are. Do not be surprised if your thoughts, words, and actions are centered around selfishness, anger, lust, or depravity, then produce consequences that lead you toward darkness, disappointment, and failure. If you want to see success in your life, then form your thoughts, your words, and your actions to produce that which is good, right, and beautiful.

The Shape of Your Soul

It is common all over the world for those who put great value in physical strength and overall health to try to imitate those who excel in these areas. This is not an unreasonable approach and mindset, both of these reveal what someone believes to be important. In a similar way, those who put great value in being wealthy, being comfortable, and enjoying the pleasures of life, will seek to imitate those who also succeed in these areas. Again, this is not unreasonable, if we want to succeed in either of these areas, it would make sense to find someone who can provide us with wisdom and guidance.

The tragic part of this story is that most people put a big emphasis on physical health and finances, while neglecting to give consideration to the shape and health of their heart and soul. If you step away from your approach to life, consider what you are doing and who you are imitating, what will you see? Are you just another faceless, nameless Westerner who is distracted by Hollywood, social media and vacuous entertainment?

This could be phrased as “what is the shape of your soul”? Over the last two thousand years, the historic Christian Church has encouraged its members to imitate the thoughts, the words, and the actions of Jesus Christ and the apostles. There is also the idea that we have thousands and thousands of holy men and women who were not distracted by the cultures in which they lived.

This is where we see great value in reading the lives of these holy people, so we have a good understanding of how we can approach life and form ourselves into something excellent, rather than being empty, hollow, and distracted. Look at how you use your time, your money, and where your thoughts focus in times when you are not in conversation with others. Do we dwell on and think about what we can do to be good, holy, and kind people, or do we allow ourselves to be distracted by silliness, inanity, and pointless entertainment that draws us toward that which is contrary to holiness?

An honest assessment of your thoughts, your words, and your actions will reveal what is actually important to you. Be honest with yourself, document how you think, how you speak, and how you treat others. Is your life one that exudes kindness, generosity, and love for others, or are you simply focused on your own comfort and pleasure?