Orthodox Christianity

A certain brother committed an offence in Scetis, the camp of the monks; and when
a congregation was assembled on this matter, they sent after Abba Moses, but he
refused to come. Then they sent the priest of the church to him, saying, “Come, for
all the people are expecting you,” and he rose up and came. He took a basket with a
hole in it and filled it with sand, and carried it upon his shoulders. The others came out
to meet him said to him, “What is this, Father?” The old man said to them, “My sins
run out behind me and I do not see them; and today I am come to judge shortcomings
which are not mine.” And when they heard this they said no more to the brother but
forgave him. from “The Sayings of the Desert Fathers”

“The heart can change several times in one moment - to good or evil, to faith or unbelief,
to simplicity or cunning, to love or hatred, to benevolence or envy, to generosity or
avarice, to chastity or fornication. O, what inconstancy! O, how many dangers! O, how
sober and watchful we must be!” St. John of Kronstadt

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion,
seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

Go to God’s temple more often, especially when you’re in afflictions. It’s good to stand
in some dark corner and pray and weep from your heart. St. Barsanuphius of Optina
When conversion does take place, the process of revelation occurs in a very simple
way: a person is need, he suffers, and then somehow the other world opens up. The
more you are in suffering and difficulties and are desperate for God, the more He is going
to come to your aid, reveal who He is, and show you the way to get out.
Fr. Seraphim Rose. God’s Revelation to the Human Heart, p.37

Every saint has a past; every sinner has a future. Fr. John