Our anniversaries!

Today (October 11) is my and my son's tenth anniversary of being Orthodox, and tomorrow will be my daughter's tenth baptismal anniversary! What an incredible journey it has been for our family and the experiences we've encountered. It hasn't been an easy by a long shot, that's for sure. Many obstacles will present themselves as a way of keeping us from God or distracting us from our goal.

The Apostle James tells us in his epistle (4:8) that if we "draw near to God and He will draw near to you", which has been proven to me over and over again, but what I didn't know upon entering Orthodoxy is that the devil also will draw near too, as he is jealous and doesn't want our attention focused on God, but instead wants us to serve him. So while you try to increase in your spiritual life, the more effort you put forth, the harder it will be--the Holy Fathers teach this. They tell us that it is a struggle until our last breaths. St. Paul has likened our spiritual lives as a kind of athletic event, encouraging us to run the race and finish the course (1 Corinthians 9:24 and Hebrews 12:1), and likens it to a battle (Ephesians 6:11-18). Truly, it is. But what a battle it is! I believe that anything good worth having is going to be a struggle, and so it is with our spiritual lives. But that is why the Church has given us the Saints as examples to us of human beings that achieved greatness through much struggle, why the Church has given us the Sacraments, the writings of the Holy Fathers and Mothers of the Church, our divine services, the icons......the list goes on and on. Before becoming Orthodox, I was the person that didn't understand "organized" worship (going to church)--I now understand St. Cyprian of Carthage's (+258 A.D.) words, "You cannot have God for your Father if you do not have the Church for your mother" and are true. Though I didn't understand the point of going to church to worship prior to becoming Orthodox, now, I just can't imagine life without it, nor can I imagine life without the immense treasures that the Holy Orthodox Faith gives to Her faithful. What a treasure our Lord God and Savior has given to us; to not only have beautiful buildings to enter into to worship the Triune God, but also giving us the wealth of Holy Tradition, the writings of the Saints, and much more than I can mention. To even be able to adorn my home as the "little domestic church" that our homes are supposed to be, so that I can stand before the icons and be in the presence of God when there are no church services to go to (like in the middle of the night, when we can do as God has commanded us through David the Psalmist, "be still and know that I am God" [Psalm 46:10]).

Our anniversaries today and tomorrow makes today and tomorrow definitely great days and this is an event worth celebrating.