Some people have the habit of thinking only about the bad and just can not stand joy. Give them joy, and they do not understand that it is a gift from God, not take – because deep down, just don’t want it. They are so used to think about some problems, what problems to give their lives without a trace.
- Metropolitan Hilarion: Thanksgiving is the essence of the Christian life
- Archimandrite Andrew (Cananas): do Not achieve desired scores
- Archimandrite Andrew (Cananas): Say “thank you” to stop whining
- Archimandrite Andrew Conano: “If the Lord will enter into hell, hell will become a Paradise”
If you don’t appreciate some of the gifts – how to give you other
Archimandrite Andrew (Konnos)
I’m always surprised when I see couples who have been given the joy of love, but which don’t thank God and don’t know happiness. How can you? God gave you a wife, kids, you’re healthy, love, happy – isn’t that enough to thank Him? To have a family, while many of your friends can’t create – or because of age or due to any problems… And here they are going through, and you enjoy that gift and it does not rejoice over it, not saying “thank you”, and constantly complaining.
If God sees that you don’t appreciate His gifts, He can’t give to others – not because He is sorry, and just for what? What are you going to do with them? So says SVT. John Chrysostom. God as a mother who cooked a delicious meal and suddenly notices that the children do not want to eat it. She thought the evening to prepare for yet – and rolls, and pizza, and cake with cream, but now she sees children throw her treats in the trash, and thinks: “Why again to cook? They don’t want to eat, do not thank me, they don’t like…”
That’s the reason you don’t have what you want. You can’t keep what we have. That’s the point. Yes, it’s uncomfortable, I see you’re upset – but it is.
Know why I telling you all this? To have your eyes opened. Elder paisios called it a spiritual awakening. As a person who suddenly wakes up from the sudden ringing of an alarm clock, jumps up and says, “Where am I, what’s wrong with me?” I am completely blind, I don’t see the gifts of God, I’m ungrateful!
Go to the cemetery, wander among the graves, stop, light a candle for the dead and think: “I’m alive, I can walk, I have a choice, I can still repent, to change!..”
As one person who came out of the house, saw the kitten climbing the pine tree, and told me after: “I felt like the happiest person in the world!” He saw the sun, the pine, the kitten and felt a great happiness. That’s how it is. And you have never.
That’s because you’re not happy with it, because of the inability to be surprised. And to wonder, to rejoice in you anything! The routine does not exist. For example, I now see and listen to you, we’re talking during transmission, and our communication, socializing with other people is a great joy for me, for which I must thank. Isn’t that enough? To see God’s creation, His creation, to see the fruit of His deeds…
Photo: mitropolia-simbirsk.ru
“You have the house.” “But I don’t have this and this…”
Need to start thinking differently and thank God for what we already have. You can contact Him with these words: “Lord, I have heard (for example, in this prayer) that we can learn to thank You even for the unpleasant things – because if you think about it, they are not unpleasant.”
First and foremost you need to thank – to thank for the fact that God gives it. And then the soul becomes sweet, the heart is softer, and you’ll understand. Understand that everything can be translated into a source of happiness and joy.
And I want to tell you – you deserve to be happy! Sorry if the years pass by sadness, crying, depression and routine. Life is beautiful, but you need to Wake up spiritually – with the help of wisdom, ljubicaste, humility, and Divine enlightenment. God forbid we acquire it.
You’re drowning in the thoughts that make you see everything in black. I don’t understand why to do, why to set goals for yourself to constantly think about the bad, distorting and overshadowing the reality. You say: “you Have a house!” And you answered: “so what? I don’t have this and this…” But you got the house! Hasn’t everybody have a home? He’s your own? Your. So, no need to pay. You have your house and you don’t appreciate it. Yes, even if rented accommodation – is it in our time it is easy to find a suitable option?
And you don’t appreciate it, don’t understand… Know what you’re doing now? If you say, “Lord, I don’t understand why Your gifts, do not appreciate them.” And provoke God, provoke the very life to Rob you of these gifts – but not out of revenge, but because the Lord sees that His gifts have lost their purpose.
If the gift, sent by God, does not make you soft, humble, contented and peaceful – then why do we need it? And the Lord says: “Give me that, I’ll take it. Not because I want to deprive you of something – on the contrary, I wish to give you more; but since you can’t have small, I’ll give you a lot?”
“Think before you start complaining”
And don’t think once you have something show up, you’ll be happier. A whiner whines and when he whole lot, but happy, calm person remains so low. This is what the Apostle Paul says: “I learned to be happy with what I have. Know how to live in poverty, are able to live in abundance; learned all and in all” (Phil. 4:11). When a person thinks so he’s not complaining. Stop complaining. Learn to thank God even when everything turns out exactly the opposite.
How can you achieve such a state in which a person says, “Thank You, Lord, for the fact that I have cancer”? How? When we fail to give thanks even for health. How is it possible to thank for the disease, cancer? How can you thank when sick? “Uh, very disease has a lot to teach! – said the man. – I learned patience, love, humility, prayer, hope, faith; learned not to be vindictive, to remember the death and hope for resurrection.” Here is what can be learned disease. And people knew it.
And the other has it all, he radiates health, but is constantly discouraged. You know what it’s called – when no sick and faint? When you have everything, and people constantly complained that something was missing, constantly condemns? “Father, I quarreled with my husband. I had a fight with his wife. We want to get a divorce. We got divorced”. Where here to be happy… But if you share your problems with God and ask Him to suggest the right solution, It will make it so that you will understand and these problems should thank. Trust me.
Maybe today you don’t get to say “thank you” – because I can’t, because the wound is still too deep, because you broke up recently; but just believe that everything happened for your good. It’s true, I tell you. The real blessing.
We thank God for all the visible and invisible blessings. Because everything in life – His gifts. However, we do not look at life, not watch it.
One woman came once to the elder Paisii and started to complain:
– Husband of six months is spent in swimming, why do I have this? Why do I have so much time to live alone, without a husband, and constantly worry about him?
The elder replied to her:
– Do you remember how you wanted to be a nun, a nun, to devote himself to God?
“I remember,” she replied. But then something in me changed and I wanted to get married!
– Right! God heard your prayers and fulfilled two wishes at the same time. And you now resent.
– How can not angry? No husband for six months…
But didn’t you pray first about becoming a nun, and then to get married? You wanted or married or in a monastery – that God gave you the answer.
And the woman remembered that in his youth he prayed about that, and about other, not knowing which path to choose. And the Lord did that for six months she lived like a nun, because her husband went to sea, and she was left alone with the children, devoting themselves to God, serving them in service and sacrifice. And the next six months, she was the wife of her husband, an ordinary family woman.
– Yes, father! the woman said the elder. – You are right.
– So think before you start complaining, ‘ he replied.
Monk Paisios Of The Holy Mountain
When I used to think only about the problems – nothing in life and will not remain
Think right! Let your mind be clouded by sorrow, anxiety, fatigue, depression and habit of grumbling, be enlightened. Some people have the habit of thinking only about the bad. They are so used to not able to otherwise. And I can’t stand to be happy, just can not stand joy. Give them joy, and they do not understand that it is a gift from God, don’t take this joy, because deep down I just don’t want. I’m not exaggerating. “How is that possible? – you will be surprised. – How can you not want to be happy? You must be joking. Yes we are all one and want to rejoice!” Yes, but is it worth the pleasure to visit us…
Some people are so used to think about some problems, what problems to give their lives without a trace, otherwise, think about. They can’t live in peace, without squabbles, and as soon as one problem is solved, replace it immediately searched other.
In fact, these people themselves create problems. And not because they are active and want to change something, but because of constant dissatisfaction, which needs new and new reasons. The man really wants to be unhappy and looking for an excuse.
I remember one young man still could not marry and lamented:
– Behold, God helps me, not sending my only! What do I do?
– Don’t worry about it, son, ‘ I told him. – So God has a reason, all the better!
It took some time, this young man continued to survive, and one day he met a girl, about which it was clear they fit each other and can be a good family. But then the young man began again to lament! “This can’t be! It does not happen! Not everything is so good! Something tells me that nothing good happens!”
“Listen,” I told him. – You prayed so much for that to happen! And finally, God solves your problem. And again you’re stubborn, complaining, unhappy again, and he alienate his happiness. So you are looking for misfortune, looking for loneliness and depression. Here’s what you need.
“Thank God for…”
Something happened to us. Don’t know what. We don’t want to be happy, we don’t like it. A priest once suggested to his children: “Take a sheet of paper and write what you think is a great mercy of God in your life. Write and see how many of these gifts. And if you combine all this together, you get one big joy.”
Please look me in the eye. Why do you not look happy? Write, write and thank God. “Thank you, Lord that I’m healthy, I have a family, a beautiful wife, a wonderful husband, children, money, a warm home, car, work, house, family, loving my friends, people who help me, good neighbors, etc.” I knew a boy who thanked God even for a puppy! What? Puppy, kitten, which we love – no need to delete them from the list.
It turns out so much reason to tell God thank you! That is so much reason to be comforted, to experience joy and happiness. Are you happy?
The priest told his flock to do so here is a list of God’s gifts and reread it as soon as the coming gloom or discontent. Just reread and realize that we have no right to be unhappy! And here is one of his children, a spiritual man, wrote: “Thank God that I can pray.” And another wrote: “Thank God for the opportunity to take communion”. And after writing this, I thought: “How can you be unhappy when you receive Holy communion? To confess – and at the same time complain? To read the Gospels to see how Christ speaks of love, humility, and becomes your Friend and complain? What would it be? Every time – he continued, – when I became hard, I took your list, reread it and said to myself: get real, aren’t you ashamed to complain, to be ungrateful! It’s a huge sin!”
The soul, not thanking God, – sick soul. God does not punish, not revenge, but, says SVT. John Chrysostom, if you want to get Him more gifts, first I have to thank for what is already there. God to see you appreciate what you have.
And when He sees the joyful souls, palpitating with gratitude and happiness, then gives even more. Take My children, take! And when I see your eyes shining with joy, then send new gifts, because – “How not to give? Because My son is so happy, thanking and praising Me!”
Source
Translation Yelizaveta Terentyeva for the portal “Orthodoxy and the world”