Despair Not
“Just as the Lord is solicitous about our salvation, so too the murder of men, the devil, strives to lead a man into despair.”
-Saint Seraphim of Sarov
Often times the Church Fathers refer to despair as being one of the worst sins we can fall into. It’s obvious that the goal of the devil’s temptations through the passions is to have us lose hope. Lust isn’t merely lust, anger isn’t simply anger, greed is more than greed, and so on. They’re all the gravitational forces from the black hole that is despair which tries to pull you into eternal darkness. How can we possibly battle such strong forces? We live in a society where every single evil passion of this world is available at our fingertips. We can commit sin easier than ever before. In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians we are reminded; “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” 11:14 ESV. The ultimate deceiver, the snake in the garden, disguised as an “angel of light”. How can we mortals have any hope in fighting off the fallen angel? How can we possibly be worth His grace and forgiveness?
“The only hope of salvation from the delusions and the heresies, the innovations and the traps of wicked people and of the devil is prayer, repentance and humility.” -Saint Joseph the Hesychast: Struggles, Experiences, Teachings
Battling the sin of despair is not something we can do alone. Sin is not simply a habit we mortals can break without divine intervention from our God. So how can we begin to start battling our sins? As St. Joseph the Hesychast says, “prayer, repentance, and humility”. You must begin to pray. Pray for strength to battle the demons who afflict your mind. Jesus Christ is the only one who can resist the devil’s temptations perfectly. If we wish to truly be given the fighting chance to reject temptation, we need Jesus Christ. Pray for guidance, strength, and direction through the temptations. If you are sick physically, do you not request for the prayers of your brothers and sisters in Christ? Surely we must do the same for our spiritual sicknesses. This can be done through the request of intercessions from the Theotokos and the Saints as well. Asking those closest to God to pray for us is one of the best things we can do to enhance our prayers. “O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, for the sake of the prayers of Thy most pure Mother, our holy Church fathers, and all the Saints, have mercy upon me, a sinner.”
Then, we must repent. When we pray for forgiveness and truly repent, we should be doing this in a real sorrowful mindset. God knows your intention and can sense your heart so this must be approached with the utmost sincerity. Luke 15:7 “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.“. Saint Ambrose enlightens us in his second book Concerning Repentance “Let us then not be ashamed to confess our sins unto the Lord. Shame indeed there is when each makes known his sins, but that shame, as it were, ploughs his land, removes the ever-recurring brambles, prunes the thorns, and gives life to the fruits which he believed were dead. Follow him who, by diligently ploughing his field, sought for eternal fruit: Being reviled we bless, being persecuted we endure, being defamed we entreat, we are made as the offscouring of the world. 1 Corinthians 4:12-13”.
Lastly, we must pray for humility. It seems to me that most sins stem from our egotistical tendencies. Lust is nothing more than the simple internal dialogue you have which convinces yourself to feel okay with the sexualization of another human. Lying is your ego telling you that you that, like the ultimate deceiver, you may also deceive. Humility will allow you to remove our ego and be filled with the grace of Jesus Christ. How can we possibly be filled with grace if we are already filled with such evils? Empty yourself and allow humility and love to enter. “A humble man is never rash, hasty or perturbed, never has any hot and volatile thoughts, but at all times remains calm. Even if heaven were to fall and cleave to the earth, the humble man would not be dismayed.” -Saint Isaac the Syrian.
Within Christ there is always hope. There is salvation, there is restoration, there is rebirth, there is direction, and there is love. John 14: 6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” We obtain true salvation through Jesus Christ. When we fall into our sins, we must not despair. Rather, we must be reminded that through our working faith we can attain forgiveness and experience His grace. Through prayer, repentance, and humility we can finally begin to fight the real battle of the passions that often drowns the souls of so many in this life. We weren’t created for damnation. We were created to be with God as His children. To serve the almighty, all powerful, uncreated God. Our passions will never fulfill us to the extent that the glory waiting for us will. Temporary pleasures will never be worth the eternal judgment God will bring upon us someday. The hate you have in your heart, that lie you’re about to tell, that lustful act you’re about to commit, they are merely temporary transactions. Instead of physical currency, you are bargaining with your soul which is the ultimate currency. Seek humility and watch how God begins working in ways you’ve never felt before. We are worth eternity with God which is worth more than any human mind can possibly comprehend.
Psalm 50 (Septuagint) 10-12 “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.”
