Divine Justice

"There is no greater joy than the joy you feel when you accept being wronged.   I wish everyone would wrong me!  Honestly, the sweetest spiritual joy that I ever felt was inside the attacks of injustice.  Have you any idea how much joy it gives me, to be called, "deluded"?  "Thank God", I say to myself; "I will receive wages from this insult, whereas if they called me a saint, I would be indebted".  Nothing is sweeter than being wronged!            


-- Elder Paisios 




I have spent the better part of the last two weeks really battling how I am ACTUALLY feeling and  how I WANT to be feeling!   Ahhh, the "spiritual struggle" (my "askesis" in Greek).  

I am a victim. Yikes, I don't even like how that sounds.  My car was burglarized, my diaper bag/purse was stolen. My window was crushed. My wallet is gone.  My personal affects.  My children's things.  My bank accounts frozen, closed, reopened, frauded!   I feel violated....and mad.  I'm sure I don't have to tell anyone what an aggravation this whole thing has been.   As if the above wouldn't be enough, I find out yesterday that these criminals DID actually use my identity to take money from our account...all of it - and THEN some.  Well, I had been handling the whole thing quite well until this new curve in the road.  NOW I was really mad, disgusted, depleted.  I was starting to unravel.


As my husband and I are handling all of the details back and forth via emails, he takes a moment to tell me this:  


"my love!  It is not for us to be troubled within these trials and tribulations in life.  By troubled I mean despondent, angered, fearful, stressed, etc. We move on through patience, calmness, trust, peace, humility; excepting "all that comes to us throughout the day." Our growth in life-our Faith comes
through times like this. These are perfect examples, or as the church shows us "temptations" to ascend or descend."



He reminds me to re-read Elder Paisios' talks on Divine Justice for encouragement and guidance.  I LOVE that we are there for each other in these times of struggle!  What a Blessing he is to me. 


I can't lie - I didn't flip a switch and become thankful that I was robbed.  I wish it were that easy. But I am fighting the temptation to react to this in a way that is not pleasing to God.