Sober for God

A famous evangelical, Frankie Shaeffer, has written a number of books as he transitioned out of evangelicalism and into Orthodox Christianity, as have many others making the same journey. I can't say that I've read any of his, but I have read one or two others, most recently One Flew Over the Onion Dome, which isn't so much a book about one person's journey "home" to the Orthodox Church, but rather a somewhat light-hearted look at the experiences of many people coming to canonical Orthodoxy in a number of different jurisdictions (Greek, OCA, Antiochian, etc.). I guess Frankie Shaeffer has a new book out, Crazy for God, which has been reviewed on the blog of my Greek Orthodox community. I took the idea for the title of my post from the title of the church's post, Crazy for God, which is of course, the book's title. I'm just tired of being crazy for God.
Now it's time to just be sober.

What I mean is, even I used to describe myself as being "crazy for God," though I never wrote a book about it. In my case, what I meant was that the pursuit of God was my number One priority, that my whole life revolved around this pursuit. Other people thought of me as excessive and even obsessed, and many still do. That used to worry me a lot, and it altered my behavior to the point where I tried to "fit in" and act as though "nothing was going on."

More than thirty years into it, looking back I see what a mistake that was. On the evening of Yom Kippur of 2005, as I sat alone in my arbor meditating and praying, I had a conversation with the Lord that placed me back on the way of the Cross. I described it in a blog post written a year later. I hoped that things would improve in my daily life and in my relationships with others, but I was ready to accept whatever God would send me. As it turns out, from an earthly point of view, things have gone from bad to worse. This is why I would rather describe my life in Christ as "sober for God." It's a sobering experience to have everything you lived and worked for just melt away in a matter of a couple of years. Everything earthly, that is.

My life in Christ certainly doesn't fit the picture of that happy couple examining their bank account statement in my previous post, Shameless.

I started this post this morning before going to the Divine Liturgy. I'm finishing it in the afternoon. Every Sunday we're handed a bulletin that has an icon on the cover, and usually some mediocre or sanctimonious verbiage on the back, not always related to either the icon, or the Sunday theme. Occasionally a real gem turns up on the back, or at least something that speaks to me where I am right now. Today that happened. I'm going to close this post by just quoting the message on the back of the Orthodox Weekly Bulletin…

The Consequences of Our Commitment to Christ

When we choose to follow Jesus Christ, it should be understood that this will not be a journey free from trials and tribulations. Throughout the history of the Church, a countless number of men and women have suffered greatly for choosing His ways over the ways of the world, which are inherently sinful and evil. The final beatitudes remind us of the possible consequences to our Christian commitment:
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake… Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake."

It should be noted that our Lord never painted a "rosy picture" for His Apostles and disciples concerning what may lie ahead for them. He knew that He had many enemies and, therefore, so would they. "If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you." (John 15:20) Jesus proclaimed that He was the "Light of the world," maintaining that "everyone practicing evil hates the light." Persecution is almost inevitable for Christians striving to live in accordance with the righteousness required by the Gospel, for evil people will always detest those who speak out against their wicked deeds. Therefore, a Christian must be willing to patiently bear insults, mockery, disgrace, slander, defamation of character and yes, even death. Such must be the depth of our devotion to the One Whom we promised to love and serve on the day of our baptism.

But we are mere mortals! How can we endure all the fearful aspects of persecution? By never losing sight of the "prize" at the end of our arduous "race" — the Kingdom of Heaven. Finding a place there will, indeed, be a source of joy beyond our wildest dreams! Remember, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." (1 Corinthians 2:9)