The Sunflower: Conforming the Will of Man to the Will of God

by John Maximovitch, Nicholas Kotar (Translator)

"May our love for the Sun, the will of God, be as strong as the sunflower's, so that even in days of hardship and sorrow we will continue to sail unerringly along the sea of life, following the directions of the barometer and compass of God's will that leads us to the safe haven of eternity." This is a thoroughly practical manual of the spiritual life focusing on the central goal of every learning the will of God and struggling to mold our life to it, just as Christ "humbled Himself and became obedient." (Phil. 2:8) Even more fundamentally, St John addresses the question of why we should care about God's will. Finally, the reader will find eternal wisdom running through these writings on questions of theodicy, free will, and Divine Providence. This work is reminiscent of the classic text Unseen Warfare in its historical genesis as an Orthodox redaction of an originally Roman Catholic text. First published in 1627 as The Heliotropium it was the work of a German Jesuit writer Jeremias Drexelius. The future St John adapted this text for an Orthodox audience as a student and then teacher at the Kiev Academy in the 1670's but it was not published until 1714, just a year before the author's death. This is the first English edition of St John's text, further edited and abbreviated for the contemporary reader.

Genres: Spirituality, Christianity, Religion

470 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 1, 2018

About the author

St John Maximovitch (1651-1715) was Metropolitan of Tobolsk and all Siberia. His veneration among the people grew after his repose to the point that he was canonized by the Russian Church in 1916, becoming the last canonized saint of the pre-Revolutionary period. He is best known today as the namesake and ancestor of the great 20th-century saint of the Russian diaspora, St John of Shanghai and San Francisco.

Reviews

[Kevin Godinho · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book. It gets a little repetitive, but the content is worthy of reminder. The author's premise is that everything, both good and bad, is from the hand of God, and we should receive everything in life as such. There is some nuance here, but essentially because God is Almighty (Παντοκρατωρ), everything that takes place in His creation happens according to His will, whether active or passive. Providence is the theme of this book, and submission to Providence is how man conforms his will to the will of God; looking for God's hand in everything and thanking Him for it all.

There is an emptying of one's own will in an effort to be filled with God's that seems almost unattainable. It is the perfect alignment of man's will with the will of God that Christ put on display in His life here on earth. He showed us how to be in relationship, as sons, with our Creator. This is the Example we are all called to imitate; after His likeness. The perspective of life that the author puts forth, I think, can be extremely helpful and humbling if applied honestly and earnestly. The author's perspective may seem a bit extreme, but I think if interpreted according to the Spirit and not the letter, it can be life changing if we allow contentment and a willingness to walk humbly before our God to seep into our bones. I recommend.

"[A sign] of true piety and eagerness to act in agreement with God's will is a lack of fear when faced with afflictions or difficulties. Not merely a lack of fear, but cheerfulness, even eagerness, to suffer them." - St. John of Tobolsk

[John Considine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book you'll need to read again. Very simple prose, but with many layers.

[Navel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christian Stoicism:
One of the best books I've ever read on the question of how A Good God permits suffering and how this suffering aids in our salvation.

[Theodora Girgis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may just be my favourite book now. Both convicting and comforting at the same time. Every single sentence is full of so much wisdom. Every Christian needs to read this book.

[William Tu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book of similar origins as "Unseen Warfare", also written by an Italian Catholic, also found and translated and republished by an Orthodox Saint, in this case, Saint John Maximovitch, the ancestor of Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco, a 20th-century saint, also with the last name Maximovitch. The book is full of good anecdotes from the writings of the Fathers and desert fathers.

[Steven Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It might have taken me 11 months, but I finally made it through this book. Some things were difficult to accept in the beginning, but when put into practice, I began to see truly everything happens according to Providence, for our salvation.

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely incredible manual for spiritual health, St John pray to God for us!!

[Molly Poole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deus vult!