Category Archives: Greek Orthodox

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15)

Who am I to you? That’s what Christ was asking…and really it was a valid question for Him to ask then, and it’s a valid question for us today, to ask of our relationships around us, with the people in our lives as well as our relationship with God, right down to the relationships we have with ourselves.

We have many many people who dance in and out of our lives, all of our lives. To some I have been a good friend, to others I have been nothing. Some have found me to be abrasive, obnoxious, funny, charming, kind…any number of words could describe me in any given day, in any given moment.

I have had friends who have left my life over something petty…I don’t know what or who I am to them, not anymore. I don’t know if they hold onto fond memories of me or they let the petty moment that broke our relationship/friendship define me. I can’t control how they see me, I’ve made my peace in every way I know how and gone on with my life.

I don’t know how my kids see me most days, am I an ok mom? I would guess from the fact that the only time they verbalize how they feel about me is when they don’t like me so much…maybe I’m not? I’ve done the best I can there, I’ve tried to make their lives memorable, I share wonderful memories with all 4 of them, and God knows I’ve loved them to the best of my ability.

My relationship with God…it’s not perfect, but I think he knows my heart, he knows how I feel, even if my church life isn’t solid. (I’m currently ‘outside’ my church, because I married outside of the church, which isn’t the right way to go in Eastern Orthodoxy, but I hope to eventually right that, as I truly love my faith. I cannot take communion until that time, which believe it or not, makes me sad) I still read my readings, follow my liturgies and my church on social media for now, and I still pray…I don’t like being estranged, as it makes me wonder what Christ would say…right now…to me, we’re I to ask him:

Who do you say that I am?

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Faith is the substance of things hoped for…

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.†

Do we have to see something to have faith in it? There are a great many things in the world we may never see, yet we don’t doubt they are there…why is faith in God such a difficult subject to breach, and why are so many dead set to mock and ridicule anyone who believes?

If you are determined not to see something….you won’t see it. No one can make you. However, if you believe, you can’t escape seeing it everywhere you go, in everything you see.

I have decided to take a step back from social media, and my friends and acquaintances within, and focus on my relationship with God a little more. Kind of my way of saying ‘hey, I see you there and haven’t forgotten you’.

If you try to see God in the people around you, you often will be disappointed….almost always in fact. But if you seek Him when you are faced with a challenge, you’d be surprised just how often, and in what ways, he comes through.

I won’t cite any examples, as it’s something you kind of have to see for yourself. However my biggest place of comfort in the past several years has been my daily readings from http://www.goarch.org , I find them relevant to my life more days than I don’t.

Just my little rant for the night.

Have a good one!

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