The approaching fast

For those of you who are Orthodox, you know what the title of this post means.  For all others, I am speaking of the forty days that lead up to the celebration of Easter.  We who are Orthodox, call it Pascha.
For the next six or seven weeks, the Eastern Orthodox church lives out the most strict fast of the calendar.  Many misunderstand what this of all about. This is not about following a bunch of man made rules,  for we no longer live under law.  This is not about taking on a special diet, for our focus is on eternity, not grasping after perpetual youth. This is about balance.
This long, challenging and sanctifying fast of about forcing our flesh to live the life of faith.  This concept has really been on my mind lately.  In this fast, we choose not to eat meat, dairy, oil or wine until Pascha morning.  Food had become such a powerful force in our modern day lives that we no longer see food rightly. Food has become the driving force in our lives.
Do you think that it has not? Try going a week, eating only vegetables and drinking water.  Your desire for something tasty will fight back. Your flesh will rebel.  Your stomach will tell you otherwise.  These are the questions and statements that torment me.  My wife is a really good cook and baker.  She feeds me well. When I think of how easy it is to enjoy really good food, I see how weak I actually am.
The goal of the fast is like the training of a marathon runner. You do not run for the sake of running. You run so as to be prepared for the big race. Fight the flesh, fight the passions, fight the easy life.
Your soul and your eternity depend on it.

But WE'RE right!

Especially in the theological circles, in which I formerly ran, the idea of being doctrinally correct and criticizing those outside of our circle, was paramount.  Though I am no longer a Calvinist (or even Protestant for that matter), I do still believe that theological precision and accuracy is important.  But in a way vastly different than my former days.
In my former days, digging into the original languages, learning the most thorough and precise hermeneutical tools and speaking with precision was the way to godliness.  (Except it wasn't.)  The Orthodox church, of which I am now part, still holds definite theological positions and posits as true specific and definitive dogmas, these are merely tools for interacting with ones culture.  Drawing close to God and putting aside worldly things are achieved by the the sacraments, confession, repentance and love. 
But what is the place of theological accuracy?
It is our belief that all men are created by God and sustained, simply in order to give the time and the opportunity to turn, repent and learn to love God and neighbor.  Because all men are created in the image of God, are part of the "world" of whom Jesus died for, and while living, are still "men", all men and any men, have a grasp of varying degrees, on aspects of truth.  In other words, all men, regardless of religious persuasion, believe some truth.
It then naturally follows that while the Orthodox church is "the" church and the repository of the historical faith, any of us can learn nuggets of truth from anyone, anywhere.  The Buddhist, the Hindu, the Native religions, even the Wiccans, have embraced something of truth.  And, as all men have strengths and weaknesses, we should learn from those stronger than us and help those weaker. 
One very important point amongst all of this is that of framework and foundation. While those of these varying faiths may have aspects of truth, all truth must be understood within the framework of the historic Christian faith and upon the foundation of Jesus Christ. Other faiths may hold truths that are exactly contrary to their own framework and foundation, but this should come as no surprise, no one is perfectly consistent.
And finally, all of our lives should be filtered and controlled by humility.  Embracing that which is true is good and right, but it is worthless if it is not done in love and humility.

Fruit

We read in Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
For many years, I understood this passage to mean that we were supposed to do these things.  But not too long ago, the  meaning  of the words really jumped out at me.  These things are the "fruit" of the Spirit. In other words, when we see living a life, directed and controlled but the Spirit, we will see this fruit.
An analog works really well here. Do the apples that grow on the tree make the tree an apple tree, or do they reveal that it is an apple tree? I think it's pretty clear that it's the latter.
So too with our lives.  Living a life that manifests love, joy, peace patience, kindness, etc does not make us a Christian, it reveals that we are part of the body of Christ.
The next question then is, what is being said when we do not see these things in our life?

Thoughts on vocation

Obviously, the necessity and goodness of work beyond question.  My thoughts on vocation are more about the "what" of vocation. It seems that the thought process for most in America travels along the lines of "what job can I do that will make me the most money, doing something I will enjoy?"  Not that there is anything wrong with doing a job that you enjoy and doing it in order to earn enough to support oneself, but my question is "but what job."

It may be that my thoughts are completely off base here, but I cannot help but think that the work that we do, accounting for about 1/4 of our lives, should be something of substance, that actually is good.  One thing that I have seen in the Protestant world is that of the grounds for our actions.  The question seems to be, "Is it sinful?  If not, then it is okay to do."  But is that really the case?  In Eastern Orthodoxy, the question is, "Is this helpful for my sanctification?" Something may be not sinful, but at the same time, it may be a deterrent or detrimental to our spiritual growth.  This is really something that needs to be considered.

What then about our vocation?  If at all possible, why not choose a job that will actually help others or ourselves, or even better, both?  We can get a job building widgets or we could get a job building bombs or a job building reusable water purification systems for third world countries.  

We could get a job building software for the computer gaming field or we could get a job building software for the improvement of farming practices.  I know that for some, if we are already entrenched in a particular vocation and it is not feasible to change, is one thing.  But for those who are just starting out, find a way that you can use your skills, talents and time for the actual good of others.  You know, love your neighbor.