Eager Acceptance

Let none of you have a soul which is barren and without fruit. Let nobody be unloving or unreceptive to the spiritual seed. May each of you eagerly accept the celestial seed, the word of salvation (cf. Lk. 8:11), and by your own efforts bring it to perfection as a heavenly work and fruit pleasing to God. Let no one make a beginning of a good work which brings no fruit to perfection (cf. Lk. 8:14), nor declare his faith in Christ only with His tongue.

- St. Gregory Palamas

Two of the biggest hindrances to connecting with our God-given calling are hurry and distraction. When we lose sight of the fact that we were each created to commune with Christ and grow in fruitfulness, it is easy to allow earthly cares and chaos to hijack our time, peace, attention, and identity.  

When feeling frazzled and aimless, it is wise to pause and assess your priorities. What activities and preoccupations are you allowing to take precedence over your spiritual growth, leading to barrenness in your soul? Seeds that aren’t nurtured and cared for cannot grow and produce fruit, and lives void of fruit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) are restless and empty.

By detaching from worldly ambitions and seeking first after God and His righteousness, our souls become fertile ground for all that is good, beautiful and holy, and our unique life’s path is revealed to us in the quiet of our hearts. 

Today, make a concerted effort to carve out time and space for wholehearted prayer and the Holy Spirit. He will meet you there and bless your efforts with a renewed sense of purpose and vitality.

The framed 55 Maxims print was created by Kelsy Lawson and can be found HERE : )