Over time we stop expecting the world of people to treat us differently. Someone likes us, someone does not like us so much, we envy others, and some other people envy us. And so it turns out that the slogan about the brotherhood of all people, equal opportunities, and global mutual understanding is just a myth. How many people are there around you, who can suddenly call you out of the blue and ask you to spend some good time together? Who is ready to listen to you at any moment without promising to call back and brushing off the burden of other people’s problems? Are there any people, who even after a strong quarrel or, worse, your sordid act, will calmly open the door to you, apologizing to them, and invite you with a smile to enter as if nothing bad had happened?
Yes, I am talking about Christ, for He is the only ideal Person in the entire universe. Nevertheless, this Man in the prime of life from Galilee still lives among people. Don’t you believe it? But it was He, who said that He would be with us for all the days until the end of the world. To call Him when you feel bad you do not need to know a special phone number. You need to reach Him with your heart.
We, humans, are very complex. With our thoughts, desires, and way of life, which is not always logical and is rarely correct, we create a special world around us that attracts people and circumstances. Not every artist, director or writer is a fan of art. In the same way we can bother our neighbors with our own personality. For we, with our personal atmosphere, are a work of personal art. We are all evaluated in absolutely different ways. Sometimes it is well deserved. It is hard to be around a person who is loaded with tons of despondency and sadness or who is bursting with excessive self-esteem. An elderly woman makes a face as she drags a cart with her belongings, and we grimace at the weight of our own sins. Yes, it is exactly so. Some of us are struggling with ourselves, and some have embraced the habit of discussing their neighbor in idle conversations or cannot curb their unhealthy craving for the opposite sex. But we will always feel bad about it. It hurts and weighs on heavily somewhere inside. And, of course, we understand that we need a doctor. Yet sleep, exercise, gatherings with friends, and a walk in the park do not cure the soul.
Sin is a heavy burden that you always have to carry with you like chains. A friend of mine told me a story from his army days of the distant past: a guilty soldier, depending on the severity of an offense, was obliged to carry a weight for a certain period of time. He sat with it in the canteen, slept with it, moved around the territory of the unit with it. Sin is that very weight, with which a person punishes themselves. And they wear it under their heart, in some cases for years, or even more than one sin…
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden…” (Matthew 11:28), Christ tells us. He calls us laborers if we are trying to get better and fight the sin. If we are weak and burdened with our mistakes, then we are heavy laden. But God is open, He is waiting for us and offers His help, “I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). For free, with an unlimited warranty and the possibility to contact Him again. He is not only going to listen to us. Christ is ready to help us start life anew. He heals the soul and mind, opening new horizons for life creativity. The Savior takes away this weight of a sin, helps us to find health of soul and shows us that life is much better than it seemed to us.
We are always waiting for a better time. But it will not come, because the best time is now. We should not postpone life for later, especially if Christ is ready to help us change for the better at any moment. Do not be afraid to take a risk and embark on a path of change.
Translated by Julia Frolova
