Work is an indispensable characteristic of every
virtue of man which strengthens his will. It is an obedience placed by God upon
sinful man when he lost paradise. "In the sweat of your brow you will
eat your food." Therefore, each one of us must work.
In the First Epistle to the Thessalonians, Apostle
Paul wrote about the necessity of work: "We beg you, brethren ... to go
about your own business and to work with your own hands, as we commanded
you" (4:11). In the Second Epistle, he sharply rebuked those who act
indecently and are superstitious, and he precisely sets forth his appeal to
work: "He who will not work, will not
eat." We must note here that Orthodoxy never divides work into
"white collar" and "blue collar" work. Such divisions are
accepted in contemporary society which (although less so now) has tended to regard
physical labor disdainfully. Orthodoxy requires only that a person's work be
honorable and bring corresponding benefit. From an Orthodox Christian point of
view, a person who treats his obligations disdainfully, though he be in a high
and responsible post, is far lower than the most insignificant of his
subordinates who fulfil their obligations conscientiously, in an Orthodox
Christian manner. Moreover, one can easily discover through personal experience
what a fulfilling satisfaction is felt by one who works honorably and well, and
what a squalid sediment remains in the soul after time spent in thoughtless
emptiness.
A false and sinful view of work and amusement is
becoming widespread in contemporary society. People look upon work as something
very unpleasant, like a heavy, subjecting yoke, and they strive to remove
themselves from it as quickly as possible. All their efforts are directed
toward "rest" (from what?) and toward being amused ... Rest and
amusement are pleasant and enjoyable only when they are earned by previous
work. In order to prevent that emptiness and diffuseness in the soul which are
so common now in our nervous, restless, vain times, an Orthodox Christian must
learn to concentrate, to gather himself together. One must observe oneself in
all respects and give oneself an account of one's moods and longings. One must
also consider what must be done at any given moment and the aim toward which to
direct one's efforts.
Speaking of strengthening the will, we must also
remember those instances when a person feels his will to be powerless to
withstand some temptation or sinful habit which has taken root. In such a case,
one must remember that the first and basic means at such times is prayer, a
humble prayer of faith and hope. More will be said about prayer further on. In
the meantime, let us recall that even such a spiritually strong person as the
Apostle Paul spoke of his impotence to struggle with sin and do good: "The good which I desire to do, I do not, but
the evil I do not want to do, I do." How much more is it so with us
then, who are ill and weak! But prayer can help us, since through it we receive
God's almighty strength to help our powerlessness.
In addition to prayers, vows and pledges have
great significance in the strengthening of the will in the struggle with sin. A
vow is a personal promise to do any good, beneficial deed, for example, to help
a person in poverty, to build a church or public institution, to adopt an
orphan, to make a pilgrimage, etc. When applied to our personal lives, such
vows can consist of the following: if a person notices himself deficient in any
way - not helpful to others, lazy, having little concern for the family, etc.,
he must select a definite, constant good deed in this area and make himself
fulfil it unfailingly, as his obligation. Pledges are negative vows. One gives
a pledge not to commit one or another sin, to struggle in the most resolute
manner with one or another sinful habit (for example, to cease drinking,
smoking, swearing, etc.)... It is obvious that a person must give vows or
pledges only after having assessed his strength and resolved that with God's
help he will fulfil them no matter what. The Savior warns us against vows which
are made carelessly, without thought and not according to our strength, in the
parable about the unwise builder. In the parable, the man began grandly to
build a tower, but could not complete it and his neighbors, laughed at him,
saying, "This man began to build and could not finish."
If you have made a vow, then
having called upon God's help, set yourself to fulfil it unwaveringly.
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