09/03/2024
Spiritual Work
Spiritual Work and Physical Work
The compartmentalization of the work week can wreak havoc on the inner life. It is easier to keep your prayers, spiritual reading, and focus on Christ, reserved for the weekend. Like so many, you struggle to keep spiritually grounded while at work. So many jobs make it seem impossible to stay centered, spiritually, when you are surrounded by office chatter, stress, gossip, and deadlines. With a boss pressing down on one side, and the worldly cares of coworkers hovering over your shoulder, you, like many Orthodox Christians, feel resigned to put on hold the things of God.
Many of today's jobs require so much mental concentration that it can seem impossible to have even a fleeting moment with God. How does one keep your heart in Christ, when a coworker is standing in your cubicle, whispering the latest office gossip? Is it even possible to be centered, spiritually, when the boss is adding one more deadline to the pile? Can one stay focused in the heart when a coworker is taking credit for work you've done? Can you have a Christ-like love for others, even when you are forced to watch workplace backstabbers do their thing?
My purpose for writing this blog has, from the very beginning, been a labor of love for people just like you, struggling, as you are, to live Christian lives in settings that are anything but conducive to the inner life. From my monastic cell I pray for you, and try, in my meager way, to offer a small blessing for you, one that can help you get through your day, making progress on the Path to God, while mired in a spiritually hostile setting.
The daily photos, essays, biblical passages, and the posted lives of the saints, are all my offerings to you, so in those fleeting office moments you can take a spiritual break, and be renewed.
I try to keep the topics of my daily essays relevant to your needs, but often fail, I'm sure. However I may fail in writing something inspiring, or uplifting, I still provide you with the daily scripture readings and the lives of the saints. As well, I try to post photos that provide you with a little reprieve from the sameness of your work environment.
Even if you do not have access to a computer at your workplace, you can still take a few moments before you head off for the day, and read The Morning Offering. Although I am not a theologian, nor a great spiritual father, it is my prayer that this little work of mine will be a blessing to you, and help you walk with Jesus Christ throughout the day.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon