The Human Condition and Living our Call

A month into our new routines (work, school days, sports, clubs, commitments, church, ministries, bible studies, prayer, festivals, service, GOYA, dance, Greek school, and maintaining friendships) we may find ourselves very busy, still adjusting, and in all likelihood struggling from time to time. We’re all living our lives very different when it comes to the little details, and very similarly when it comes to the big picture experiences that we share as a result of our human condition.

The human condition is one of bearing (carrying, and being) the image of God in a fallen world, a world of brokenness, and learning to live and love in the midst of pain, and learning to exist and dwell where there is shame, adversity and hard work to be done.

Lots of times we find ourselves at a place we refer to as “down in the dumps”.

This place, the bottom, is real. Sometimes it’s physical, sometimes emotional, sometimes spiritual, sometimes psychological, and often times all four at once. We are called to be Christ-like in these moments, we are called to remember that God is Our Father, and that as His children we are to go to Him, and rely on Him for His help and guidance. Easier said than done in this day and age!

Our “natural” inclination is not one that likes to dwell in pain, shame, and suffering, such a way of being simply does not come naturally in this world, were instinctive creatures, and as such we minimize (or hide our) hurt and conceal our shame. Adam and Eve, some of our most (in) famous, most distant relatives, once ate fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and the first thing they did was cover themselves!

They covered themselves because being naked means being vulnerable and easily damaged, it means being subject to judgment for one’s health or beauty, and it means that our faults stand out. And because we don’t want our faults to stand out we hide them, we cover them up. When we realize our vulnerabilities we hide them, and when we can’t hide them we hide ourselves. We hide ourselves because we feel unworthy, or because we are ashamed. (At work, school, sports, even at family gatherings, and perhaps Church?)

God is the one we cannot hide our faults from, and because we cannot hide our weaknesses, mistakes, and shortcomings, we do our best to hide ourselves (unsuccessfully, much like a child under a blanket easily spot- ted by the parent.). We judge ourselves harshly, or avoid judgment altogether because we do not wish to be found unworthy, especially when we stand before God. Because we are unable or unwilling to stand before Him as ourselves, we cannot walk with Him. We struggle being in His presence, because we are ashamed of our shortcomings, and so we do the obvious thing, we pretend He isn’t there, we ignore Him because a conversation with Him would be too much to bear.

This tendency to avoid and hide from the reality of pain and being insufficient filters down even to our muscles. Our bodies are quick to slouch and sink down into bad posture because sitting up straight is hard work, sometimes even painful in the moment. However failing to sit up or stand up straight long term over time al- lows our muscles to grow weak and loose from a lack of proper use. The same holds true for our souls, when we abandon caring about things because of the pain associated with them our spiritual tendons and muscles also grow weak. We lose the capacity to focus, encounter, and love, which creates within us a toxic kind of emptiness, a dark empty place that invites all sorts of distraction, restlessness, anxiety, fear, and apathy. Standing up straight physically means accepting the burden, pain and struggle of being. To boldly accept the terrible responsibility of life with your eyes open, to answer God’s calling out to you. To stand before Him, and walk with Him, and be ok with Him walking along side you. Living the human condition and bearing (carrying, and being) the image of God in a fallen world, a world of brokenness, and learning to live and love in the midst of pain, and learning to exist and dwell where there is shame, adversity and hard work to be done. It means willingly taking on the sacrifices necessary to generate a productive and meaningful reality, one in which you act in order to please God.

Learning to live in God’s presence and be ok with His silence, standing fast and strong in the face of pain, suffering, and fear with faith and trust in Him is our call. When we answer the call, with much practice and determination we are able to stand fast during the illness of a loved one, perhaps the death of a parent, and any other struggles thrown our way. In doing so, we allow others to find strength alongside us when they would

otherwise be overwhelmed with despair. In answering God’s call and accepting His will, we become       emboldened, and our light shines and encourages others to do so and the darkness shrinks away. Then we are truly His children.

With much love and respect,

+Fr. Yanni