In our inner lives, we have a wide variety of choices. We may choose to live in hopelessness, disillusionment and disorientation. Or we may reach out for great spiritual heights in the Kingdom of Heaven. We have all received from God the generous gift of His grace that inspires us to push our boundaries and opens up new horizons. Sadly, many of us let go of it, and often without even noticing. We begin to ramble and search with no clear purpose in sight. We realise that we are in difficulty, but we think that it is beyond our control and the result of our bad luck. It never occurs to us to look into our hearts and seek to re-establish our unity with God. When we reunite and sense His closeness, we will come to see our problems from a different perspective. They may still have no immediate or satisfactory solution; they may cause us trouble for a long time, but they will no longer distract us from living a full life. The richness of our inner lives will become evident to us.
So let us not stop looking for God. Every worship service, prayer and Sacrament of the Church is our chance of meeting Him. Perhaps we are still in hibernation and are a long way from the miracle of our resurrection. But it may happen tomorrow or the day after or at some later moment. It will touch our hearts eventually and bring us back to life. It is a miracle that we should always expect, and even our expectation of it can change a lot.
The leaves of a tree fall in autumn, but did you know that its leaves for the next spring are already formed? They are hidden in tiny buds. The buds are weak and frail, but there is life in them. They wait for the warmth of spring to burst and grow. Our spirits are much like these tiny little buds in the wintertime. They lie in waiting to blossom and bring fruit eventually. Let us have the confidence that one day the light of God's love will touch us. Let us remain hopeful and keep coming to Church. He will shed His light and pour on us His grace; our buds will burst, and we will shine with beauty and joy. For His love and grace are plentiful, and will touch all of us eventually.
Priest Sergius Nezhbort
