Category: Faith Challenges

I am regularly encouraged and enlightened by the writings of Fr Stephen Freeman on his blog “Glory to God for all Things”. Writing from an Orthodox tradition, he provides some challenging insights and perspectives. The following excerpt from today’s post is no exception. He deepen my understanding of envy, creating dissonance in my soul. Perhaps you will find it worthwhile also.

The Scriptures describe covetousness as “idolatry” (Col. 3:5). As such, covetousness is little more than desire turned in the wrong direction. Envy is much darker. Envy is the pleasure we take in the calamity that others suffer. It is the heart that says, “He got what was coming to him,” or that longs to see terrible consequences come to pass. Of all the passions, it is the darkest. It is able to look at suffering and smile. It was envy that crucified Christ (Matt. 27:18).

Because envy is a passion, it does not have a natural end. It cannot be brought to a completion or satisfied – for it is insatiable. Our natural desires, such as hunger, sex, thirst, etc., can all be satisfied because they have a proper end. It is the passions, not desires, that wreak havoc on the world.

There is …a very dangerous iconoclasm that resides within us all in the envy that infects our hearts. When Christ taught the love of enemy and to forgive those who hate us, He invites us to abandon the envy sown by the evil one. There is a deep fear by many, whenever His teachings in this matter are brought to a specific case. We fear that if our enemies are not resisted in every possible way, they will win. I once heard it said that to be a pacifist does not mean the end of violence, but that you will end up on a cross. That is, in fact, the case. Christ’s death on the Cross does not take place in order to destroy crosses. His Cross destroys death and does so by being a Cross, voluntarily taken up out of love.

https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/glory2godforallthings/2020/07/31/hagia-sophia-and-the-evil-eye/

Listening to a podcast this morning, the conversation turned to the subject of personal identity, essentially, who are you are? A life long task for me has been the pursuit of understanding who I am. For some, especially, my Christian brother and sisters, that may be a silly question for a Christian, to ask. Christians should have a ready answer, “I am… a Christian…Christ follower…believer…child of God… for starters. That answer may come out in the conversation but it is probably not my first response when I engage people who don’t know me.

More often I’m asked “what do you do?” rather than “who are you?”. In our society, you are what you do. Status, value and worth is all tied up in what we do. The competition for status is fierce. There is an industry devoted enhancing job descriptions on resumes. Stories of inflated resumes abound in the media, often with dire consequences.

It is my suspicion that people who ask “what do you do?” of new acquaintances, have an answer prepared when the question returns. Many people may not have an answer that can compete but if they do, the conversation may very well take another direction.

As I thought more, it occurred o me asking “what do you do?” is a handy and effective way to establish superiority and diminish or shame the other. Whether or not that is our intention, the result is the same. I remember my father-in-law always introduced me as a manager at Ford Motor Company. I’m sure he had no idea of the baggage that came with that if anyone knew much about Ford production managers. Thankfully, the spotlight dimmed when he introduced my PHD brother-in-law.

During the afore mentioned podcast, it was suggested, whenever people ask “what do you do”, resist answering and, if you do, be as vague as possible and redirect the conversation in a way that will engage them and find opportunity to know them and vise versa. What they do is not who they are.
I particularly encourage Christians to consider the mine field created when asking”what do you do?”, our goal is to engage and love others. Also, it might be helpful to rethink canned responses of “I’m a …Christian…Christ follower…believer…child of God… et al” and please don’t say I am a member of _______ church. Those descriptions may have entirely different meanings for unbelievers. Whatever we are are, they will find out soon enough when they get to know us. Besides, it could help to avoid embarrassing Jesus and his followers.

Here are a few things I’m pondering.
How to answer “What do you do?”?
What should I answer if asked “Who are you?”?
If I shouldn’t ask, “What do you do?”, what should I ask?

So much to think about.