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?

The Chosen Path

 

                Everyone transitions or should transition from childhood to adulthood. This needs to be an intentional process, don’t simply “let life happen”. Most children have dreams and plans about what they want to be when they grow up. Sometimes these dreams become reality and sometimes they do not because of inability or lack of financial foundation.

               At some point after reaching adulthood, we make decisions that impact our direction in life, what we are able to achieve, and reveals opportunities of which we may take advantage. A foundational part of all of this is being willing to work hard, take on the next challenge, and not simply being content with the influence and impact of others upon us.

               Be the main influence in your own life, work hard, focus your energy, attention, and finances to making your life the best shape it can be. Every decision you make will direct and influence your life as well as the life of those under your authority. Someday you may have a spouse and children, and these decisions will impact them as well.

               When making decisions as you move through life, seek input from those wiser than you, with more experience than you, and a proven life of success, however you wish to define success. One does not seek out financial advice from someone who is living in a cardboard box in an alley, instead you make the effort to find someone who has financially succeeded in life.

               The other consideration to make is seeking advice from someone who is morally sound, ethically solid, and knows how to love others. The person who is selfish, self-centered, and concerned only with pleasure and comfort is not the best choice for seeking guidance. Find that person that is a good role model, who is loving, kind, ethical, and generous towards others.

               The goal in life ought to be how one can positively influence those in his social circles, positively influence his culture and community, and make life better for everyone with whom he interacts. Don’t merely think of your own comforts, your own pleasure, or your own distractions, be the one who makes all things good. Be the one to whom others come for advice and direction.

Passionate or Not

 

                The idea of passion is often overlooked and ignored. Without realizing it, most people don’t give much thought to what things about which they are passionate. Everyone is passionate about something, and this is easily identified by how they spend their time, how they spend their money, and towards what they direct their thoughts.

               Do you love money, do you love entertainment, do you love your family, do you love food, or do you love empty distraction so you don’t have to think about anything of value? This is an important subject that everyone should consider, as our use of time, our use of money and the use of our energies will speak the truth about what is actually important to us.

               The person who identifies with any particular religion should live a life that is in line with the beliefs of that religion. For the follower of Jesus Christ, attending church, prayer, fasting, and personal sacrifice should be the framework upon which his life is built. The life of the follower of Jesus Christ should look radically different than the average American citizen. The majority of people in the United States are focused on and distracted by sports, movies, music, or entertainment in general.

               A common phrase in the world around us is, “You cannot take it with you.” Putting great effort into being wealthy, being comfortable, and buying material things instead of focusing on being holy and preparing one’s soul for eternity is a grave mistake. To use a simple metaphor, if you have fifteen minutes to spend on making your future as good as possible, will you spend that time by doom scrolling, by watching YouTube videos, or will you put that time toward adding value to your life and the lives of your loved ones.

               To spin this metaphor around, knowing that you will one day pass away, will you spend the unknown amount of time on buying material things, being distracted by silly entertainment, or will you prepare yourself for eternity?

Garbage In, Garbage Out

There are a great number of metaphors that can be used to communicate the concept of what you put in is what you will get out. A good place to start would be with the image of food and the resultant health that follows. If you eat fast food, highly processed foods, sugar, deep fried anything, and cheap beer, you will receive a flaccid, weak body in return.

If you spend your free time filling your head, heart, and soul with social media, pornography, and Hollywood gossip, you will find that your mind will automatically go to those subjects, filling you with nothing of value but empty, foolish, childish content. If you spend your free time watching television and movies, your heart will soon learn to only find value in these things and will be bored with and not drawn to holiness.

 The perfect remedy to not being distracted by these things is to find someone who is holy, who is drawn to that which is good, right, and true, and spending your time with this person so you have a good mentor to imitate. Instead of doom scrolling and randomly flitting about the internet, read the lives of the saints, read the Gospels, read the Epistles, and seek out someone with whom to have godly conversation that fills you with light and truth.

Imagine three glass jars in front of you. One is filled with lemonade, one is filled with urine, and the third is filled with gasoline. All three of these liquids look a great deal alike. If you put one of them in the tank of your car, the car will operate properly. If consume two of these, one of them will kill you, the other will likely make you ill but the third will provide you with dietary value.

Always think of your heart, your soul, and your mind as vessels that are meant to hold that which is good, true, and beautiful, rather than the silly, the foolish, the inane, and empty distraction. Many people put a great effort into remaining physically healthy but they sadly forget to keep their heart and mind healthy. Always question what it is that you are putting into your five senses. Think of your eyes, your ears, your taste, your touch, and your smell as gates that feed your heart, soul, and mind.

Be balanced in your approach to life. Remember to keep your heart, soul, and mind clean and healthy rather than settling for easy distraction. Work hard to keep your mind focused on goodness and truth.

The Pursuit of Excellence

 

                I have often heard it said that one’s performance should never be labeled as “sufficient” or “good enough”. When someone puts in energy, time, and effort into accomplishing something, the end result should be that of excellence and noteworthy of recognition. When we go grocery shopping, in most cases we don’t buy the cheapest item available but instead, I hope, we buy the item that has the best nutritional value and quality.

               Those with whom we choose to spend our time ought to be people that add value to our lives, urge us onto excellence, and challenge us to be better. If someone is part of your life who is negative, is not helping you improve, or is causing you grief, pain, and disappointment, you ought to reconsider with whom you spend your time and energy.

               Everyone has twenty-four hours each day, eight of which are mostly likely spent in sleep, a couple hours of meal preparation and eating, a couple hours in cleaning and organizing our homes and hopefully several hours a day with loved ones. If someone spends the bulk of their waking time immersed in social media, television, or movies, he is settling for “sufficient” or “good enough”.

               How one spends his time and energy at work should never be aimed at “sufficient” or “good enough”. Push yourself, challenge yourself, and aim for the highest bar of which you can conceive. Don’t settle for being just another employee who contributes just enough to not get fired. Be the one with wisdom, with the answers, and be the one to whom people go for help and direction.

               Don’t settle for mediocrity, don’t be content with the low bar set by others, be the one that excels in every field and who challenges others to improve themselves.

Plans for the Future

 

        From the time that someone graduates from high school or from university plans begin to be formed for finding employment and plans for saving, for purchasing a home, getting married, having children, and retirement. It is well understood that each person has only so many years to live, to enjoy life, and to save up until old age overtakes them and they are no longer able to bring in an income. 

There is nothing unreasonable about any of these things. The important point to keep in mind is that everyone eventually dies and will leave the earth in the same state that they entered it. You can take nothing with you into eternity. The reality of a limited existence on earth is something that must be acknowledged. 

One could use a metaphor of travel for one who will eventually die, leaving behind everything that he has acquired in his years on earth. If you don’t prepare for your time traveling, you will find that your destination may be less than you had hoped for. If you transition into eternity without being prepared for what awaits you there, you will find yourself miserable and confused.

From a Christian perspective, if you focus your attention on being holy, on loving your neighbor and doing good to those around you, you will find that your heart and soul are prepared for an eternity in the presence of God. If you have not found holiness to be worth your time to pursue while alive on earth, you will find an eternity in the presence of a holy God unpleasant as well. 

In whatever state you leave your heart and soul, your eternity will be reflection of that neglect or preparation. Be prepared, acquire knowledge, pursue holiness, and look forward to an eternity of holiness and love so that you are not miserable for an unending existence. Like failing to prepare for a marathon, your time running the twenty-six miles will be miserable if you failed to think through the ramifications of your laziness.

Setting Aside Immaturity

                When you were a child, you thought like a child, you spoke like a child, and you acted like a child. You enjoyed childish things; you spent your time and attention on entertainments directed at children. Hopefully when you reached your teenage years, you transitioned away from childish things and began to focus on thoughts, words, and activities of a teenage nature.

               When you reached university age, hopefully your use of time, your thoughts, your words, and your actions matured beyond that of childishness and teenage years. I challenge everyone reading this short collection of thoughts to self-analyze, self-critique, and ask hard questions about your use of time, your use of money, how you think, how you speak, and what you find entertaining.

               If you are an adult, are you still entertained by silliness, foolishness, vulgarity or games? In whatever shape your mind and heart are in, your role as a parent and friend will be impacted by these things and will influence those around you. Work hard to be the best version of you, be the one in the room with wisdom, with knowledge, with answers, and be the one to whom others go to for direction.

If you are still a child in thoughts, words, and actions, then this is a sad reality out of which you should mature. Add value to your life, to the life of others, and be the mature one in the group rather than the silly child who is entertained by childishness. Set aside immaturity, set aside emptiness, set aside shallowness, and set aside vanity. Find those things that are excellent, those things that add value to you and to others, embrace them, and live like an adult.

Satisfaction or Distraction?

 

            There is a path before each one of us which is surrounded by numberless decisions, all of which will determine how we proceed in life, how we succeed or fail and how we treat others. Each one of these decisions can be interpreted by either love for self, seeking for empty distraction, pleasure, and vanity. The other path is that of choosing what is good, is true, is right, and is beautiful. How we define these things is founded on what we determine is the ultimate authority in our lives.

               Do we look to ourselves, to our limited knowledge, to our limited wisdom, and to our limited experience to make these decisions, or do we look to others who have proven themselves as wise and experienced. Again, how we see others, how we interpret their advice and guidance will be founded on what we believe to be foundationally true.

               In the same way that we should be criticizing ourselves, we should be understanding how others think, speak, and live. Are you and are they focused on what is genuinely true, good, and beautiful, or are you and they distracted by the emptiness of the pleasures of the world? While lemonade and gasoline may look similar, if you pour one in your gas tank on your vehicle, it will provide you the means for travel but if you pour the other you will destroy your means of travel.

               Appearances can be deceiving, the story we tell ourselves and the story we tell others, may be true, may be deceit, and in many cases, we present ourselves in the best possible light, rather than being honest about the true nature of our heart and soul. What you put into yourself will directly impact the quality of your thoughts, the quality of your words, and the quality of your actions.

               The quality of our lives and the path we travel are determined by what we put into ourselves. If you find yourself struggling with falling into the path of empty distraction, find someone who has wisdom and honest experience to help you redirect yourself toward the pursuit of goodness and truth. We can be easily deceived by their words, but we can easily interpret their actions and how they treat others. Remembering to acknowledge that people will always present themselves in the best possible light by using their words to impress you.

               Finding someone who is wise, experienced and godly is a difficult endeavor. These things can be seen in their actions not necessarily their words. Another error that can be made is that of trusting someone else to suggest someone in whom to find guidance. It is a rare occurrence to find someone who genuinely cares about you, and is thrilled at the possibility of helping you find the path to holiness.

Personal Critique

 

            There are a few different types of knowledge. There is the knowledge that we know about ourselves, the knowledge that others think they know about us, the knowledge that others know about us, and the knowledge we think we know about others. In all of these situations, dishonesty is a genuine possibility. We try to convince ourselves that we are good people, downplaying the horrible and devastating reality of sin and corruption in our lives.

               It is a common situation for someone to try to convince themselves that their sins, their weaknesses, and their corruption is not that bad. And at the same time, they look upon other people, at other people’s sins, weaknesses, and corruptions and impose judgment upon them, considering them worse than themselves.

               Far too often people will look upon others, condemn them for their sins, and forget that all sin is contrary to human nature, is destructive to what man is intended to be, and is anti-life, regardless of the sin. The best response to observing and considering sin is that all sin is opposite to the path the Christian is to be walking.

               In all honesty, each person needs to be extremely self-critical, and unrelenting in his judgment against himself. He needs to consider all men better than himself and not make excuses as to why his sin is less important than the sins of those around him.

               Analyze yourself, be critical of yourself, and be forgiving of others, considering them better than you. Only you know what goes on inside your thoughts and heart. You do not know what others are thinking, feeling, or considering when they are home alone or when they are struggling with something. We can look at someone and wonder why they think, speak, or do the things they do. This takes place because we don’t know the details of their life, their upbringing, or their current social/family situation.

               Learn to be sympathetic, learn to be forgiving, and learn to judge only yourself.

The Foundation of Deception

 

           

            Many people spend a great deal of time, energy and money in an effort to direct their lives the way that want their life to progress. The trouble with this approach is the presumption that we think we know best, usually basing our desired path on what we find most appealing, most satisfying, and often times, what is easy.

               There is an interesting balance that is taking place in all of this. Someone will work very hard to convince themselves that some things are true and some things are not true. In short, this is about deception. We deceive ourselves and we attempt to deceive others. The sad fact is that we know our weaknesses, our sins, and the true state of our heart and soul.

               It is safe to say that most people are concerned about what others think about them. They will lie to themselves and they will lie to others to create a picture that they and others will find appealing. When it comes down to it, self-deception and the deception of others is about selfishness.

               It is wise to step back from your current path, question what it is that you are doing, what you are saying, and the image you are trying to create of yourself. It is also wise to find others who are wiser than you, more experienced than you, and are willing to be honest with you about how you are living your life.

Do not presume that you know best, do not think that you are beyond reproach. Learn to critically assess yourself, work to find the best in others, and honestly recognize your weaknesses, your sins, and work on these rather than criticizing others for their sins. The man who is critical with himself is the man who will find the path to holiness. Do not downplay your sins but rather acknowledge them for what they are, and what they are doing to you and the purity of your heart and soul.