What should a Christian's response be to dark times
As an Orthodox Christian, I do not believe God makes us suffer. However, I know that God sometimes allows me to suffer as a means of delivering me the salvific medicine that can bring about healing of my fallen nature. God knows I sometimes need to suffer in order for me to turn to Him, and thus deepen my relationship with Him.
It is also evident from my relationship with the Church, that God does sometimes allow demons to attack me, but this is always meant to turn my heart to repentance. Are dark times sent to me by God, or is it something that has descended upon my world because of my sin? As an Orthodox Christian, I know in my heart that dark times are a call for my repentance, and are therefore not something I can blame on others.
It would be so simple if I could point an accusing finger toward the secular and humanistic society that has distanced itself from our society's Christian roots, but in good conscience, I can not say that. I can only look at my own sinful nature, and how far I have fallen from the image and likeness that Our Lord created me to image, and know that dark times are all about me, and I must look to the Lord in the midst of all the suffering that befalls our world, and embrace the truth that my own sin is the cause of all calamities. I must realize that it is in suffering that God is calling me to turn my gaze upon Christ, and become more like Him.
Repentance in the midst of suffering does not mean that I am saying God is punishing me. Repentance is about turning more to Christ and becoming more like Christ. And suffering often is the only way we can do that. All is the province of God, and I am simply His servant, and I am charged by Him to serve His people, as best I can, as their servant. I am called to give witness to the truth of our Orthodox Christian faith, as best I can. If I am to be a true Christian, then I must be consistent with my Orthodox Faith, and see myself as the ultimate cause of all the suffering and darkness that befalls our world, and I must repent.
"Lord, grant me to see my own sins, and not to judge my brother, for Thou art blessed unto ages of ages. Amen. (The Prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian)."
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
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