Thoughts on one's personal creed

I've been thinking about what are the beliefs

that I live by and that I want to live by,

the ones that I have deep within,

that I find of great importance... 

Here are some of my initial thoughts on this...

***

1.  The Deep Mysterious Love and Patience of God.

2.  What my spiritual father of my Ottawa years told me about 14 years ago...

hold in perfect 50/50 balance that God loves you and that you are a sinner.

3. That within the Orthodox Church (that I joined 15 or so years ago) there is great 

freedom in two different ways.

1. There is freedom of difference, of expression, of various "small t traditions" that

form different Orthodox cultures and churches.  There is no 'one way' to do things

within Orthodoxy (i.e. in terms of liturgical, in ways of chanting, in even the way

services are run on some levels, not to mention differences in culture, food and 

family-cultures and church-family-cultures).  Just like there are many ways a

family has their own way of doing things, so there are many ways of doing lots within

Orthodox churches and Orthodox cultures. 

2.  There is freedom found in the "tools" that the Orthodox church offers.

Like fasting from meat and dairy (according to one's measure of health) or

going to confession regularly, going to church services, doing daily prayers, 

and other things. 

Freedom is not found in doing 'whatever I feel like "...this is just being a

slave to one's self and one's ideas.  Both lead to great pain.

Like when I was trapped and struggling with anxiety a few weeks ago,

that I wrote about here, that is not freedom; it's not what God wants for us.

3.  What God wants for us is both wonderful, marvelous and incredibly hard, yet mixed with 

great mercy, patience and unfailing love of God. 

God wants us to be saved by Christ, filled with His Holy Spirit.

Desiring to be saved can be hard (We have a prayer, "God save me whether I will it or not".)

Acquiring the Holy Spirit is our goal and is also very hard, but yet

God gives mercy to beginners and to those who seek the humility we see in Christ.

And when we are feeling that growing in one's Christian life is hard, 

as we face our glaring inward poverty and struggle, 

God reminds us of His unfathomable love for us.

4. Thanksgiving (perhaps the opposite of self-pity, despair?) can save us.

5.  We never need to despair. 

We must remember that with Christ is the only source of security, hope

and that Christ is the one we can always count on.

We never need to despair.