The Orthodox Christian is....

The Orthodox Christian is someone who loves unconditionally. We are to love everyone because everyone is made in the image of God. We do not love someone because they are lovable. We don't only love those who love us. We don't love someone simply because of the way they look or because of some personality trait they possess.

The Orthodox Christian is one who prays for everyone with whom they have any connection, regardless of how slight. This is more important than evangelizing, than giving a tract/book, than almost anything. Prayer changes things.

The Orthodox Christian is one who is part of the body of Christ. He is part of the Church, he worships, he fasts, he confesses, he repents and he gives. While no one is saved by what he does, no one is saved without working out his faith. Think of Jesus' words to the goats on the left (Matt 25), summarized, you didn't do anything for the needy, so you've done nothing for me. Go away.

And finally, the Christian is one who understands and lives for the things of eternity. We are born into and live in this world, but we need to keep the things of this world only as necessary. The things of the flesh are such a distraction for us, that they cause us to focus on immediate and temporal things instead of eternal. We need to use our time here for healing our souls, not entertaining our eyes and ears.

This last point cannot be emphasized enough. Not because it is more important but because it is basically ignored by the bulk of the Christian world. Everything around us can be and often is, a distraction. Most of the time, the question that is being asked is, "What am I not supposed to do?" Which then leads to the assumption that everything not on that list is then acceptable. But this is wrong thinking altogether. We should instead be asking what things should we be doing to help us grow in holiness. Our souls are so distorted, darkened, twisted, perverse and selfish that we cannot see straight. The world around us though, does not want us to think this way, so they distract us with a 1001 things, many of which are perfectly acceptable and non-sinful. The trouble is that they turn us away from working toward healing our souls and communing with God. Very much like the athlete in training, we must control, direct and subdue our bodies. The athlete doesn't eat chocolate cake, cheeseburgers and soda, not because it would be wrong to do so, but because it would not help him strengthen his body. We need to put the entertainments and pleasures of the world very, very low on our to-do list. We have far too much good and right to do than to be entertaining ourselves with trifles or distracting ourselves with temporary niceties, regardless of how pleasing or temporally useful they may be.

The Orthodox Christian is one who lives in the world as if he is dead to the world and the world to him. Anything else is a waste of time.