Today in the Temple of Broken Hearts

In The Temple of Broken Hearts
By Monk Alexander

Let us think about all the good things God gives us in our life, and then they will increase and will oust all the bad ones. But here we have to bear in mind that good does not necessarily mean pleasant.

If we savor details of our misfortune, we will be sucked into the swamps of sad thoughts with the danger of suffocating in our own mud. Saint Ephraim the Syrian said: "You will smell the stench of a dung-heap, as long as you stand beside it".

Let us learn to rejoice at all the good things the present day brings with it, then we will not burden ourselves with solving our future problems.
Jesus Christ says: "Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day" (MT. 6:34).

In medical terms, the preoccupation with something that has not yet taken place is called a 'dark perspective disorder'. The Gospel warns us against this disorder by proclaiming to live in the present day.

It is necessary to turn from the past and cast off thoughts about the future in order to discover unlimited potential of the present day.

This day is unique, for it will never be repeated again. It comprises the whole experience of my previous life and all the potential for the future. It belongs to me and I can do whatever I want with it. I can fill it with vain trouble and anxiety, or I can dedicate to God.

Today is the day God has given me.

If I could realize what kind of gift it is to me, I would use every moment of it to make my life brighter and more meaningful spiritually.

I would not look back to the past in disappointment, would not reflect anxiously about the future. I would try to live it the best I could.

I would notice everything interesting and divine in my life and nature around me. Thirst for beauty, thirst for life is characteristic of every living thing, but it is conscious only in man.

Today, by dying consciously for all that has nothing in common with the Divine life, we can be born into a new life in God, the name of which is love.

From the Orthodox Forum
Posted 03-28-2012