General Rules for One Who Stands on the Path of True Life

You have so resolutely entered upon the path of serving the Lord. God bless you! Now serve the Lord! Above all else, first of all, beware of self-conceit—it is the primary enemy. Our very intention to live uprightly before God—even before it is carried out—already gives rise to the thought that we are somehow exceptional compared with others and even compared with our own past self; and still more so when we actually accomplish something on this path. As soon as we have stood for a while in this uprightness, it begins to seem like something wondrous—and we begin to dream of ourselves as persons of perfection, performing marvelous deeds. But this is the enemy prompting us, in order to stir up self-conceit. Whoever yields to it and falls into self-conceit is immediately abandoned by grace, which departs and leaves him alone. Then the enemy seizes him as a helpless prey.

Second, let fear and caution never leave you. We walk in the midst of snares. The enemy never tempts with something obviously evil all at once; he deceives more often through the appearance of good. The inexperienced person will follow the lure and fall into the enemy’s hands, just as an animal wandering carelessly through the forest falls into a concealed pit. But while being cautious, do not lose your courage, for the Lord is near.

Third, let the fear of death and, after death, of judgment and requital, never depart from you. In the morning, at the same time as you restore the remembrance of the Lord in your heart, take care to bind to it also the remembrance of these last things. Then remain with this thought throughout the entire day, inseparably—just as with the Lord—and as you go to sleep say: “Behold, the grave lies before me! Behold, death stands before me!” You will see what guardians you will find in them.

Fourth, you cannot withdraw entirely from society. But it is within your power to frequent those places where there are fewer distractions. And when you are in company, try as far as you can not to lose your attention to the Lord, who is near and within, nor your remembrance of death, which is ready to take you. Do not surrender your heart to the impressions of the pleasures of sight, hearing, and the other senses that surround you. Life in the world is unpleasant precisely because it stuffs the soul with too many things, persons, and affairs, whose recollection afterward troubles the soul. And this prevents proper prayer. The one remedy against this is to guard the heart as much as possible from receiving impressions. Let everything pass by and go past you without entering the heart.

Fifth, do not flee people, however, and do not be sullen. In your position this would be inconvenient, and it would bring you no benefit. Nonetheless, spend more time among your own household. With them, I am sure, all your arrangements are good. Do not depart from these, so as not to stand out conspicuously and expose yourself to idle gossip.

Sixth, spiritual occupations—prayer, reading, and meditation—must proceed without fail every day. What to do at which time, arrange for yourself. Rise a little earlier, and before going out to your household, go through all these occupations to whatever extent you are able. But pray for a longer time. Express your heartfelt need to the Lord with a childlike word and childlike trust, breaking the prayers of your prayer-book with prostrations and brief exclamations to God. After praying, read with meditation and apply everything you read to yourself, or think through how you might put it into practice in your own life. I have already written this and repeat it again: it would be very fruitful if every morning you were to briefly write down the thoughts that arise—either spontaneously or through meditation—while reading the Gospel and the Apostle. Take up this labor and perform it simply, without any elaborate rhetoric.

Seventh, while laboring with all your strength, cast all your care about success upon the Lord. Confidence in God is the root of the spiritual life. Nothing is given all at once; everything will come in its proper time. Everything you seek in faith will come. But when? When it pleases the Lord to grant it. Be patient, standing firm in the order you have begun. Animate yourself with the hope that a day will come when the light of gladness will shine in your heart and restore to it freedom from all bonds, and will grant it ease of movement and soaring upward—to where the good impulses of the spirit draw it. You will soar then in the spiritual realm like a small bird released from its cage.

The blessing of the Lord be upon you! May the Mother of God overshadow you with Her protection! May your guardian angel defend you from all the assaults of the enemy!