Rachael W’s Reviews > Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: The Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica > Status Update

“We can help others only if we have good and kind thoughts. If we have thoughts about correcting the faults of others, that is like hitting them.“ - our thoughts should be about praying for them and loving them in the midst of being hurt.

“…This means that our mind cannot attain peace unless the Mighty One, the Holy Spirit, enlightens us.”

“ When we perform a task unwillingly soon resistance, and a feeling of discussed is born in us“ -> so be willing. See that the task is indeed God working out your salvation in that, likely very small, task.

“The holy father’s prayed to be delivered from forgetfulness, for we often get carried away by the things of this world and forget the Lord. We forget that he is everywhere and that any job we do and any task we perform is his… We think that the job we are doing is for someone else and we often perform unwillingly. When you perform unwillingly, soon resistance and feeling of disgust are born in us…”

Regarding our thoughts, “our starting point is always wrong. Instead of beginning with ourselves, we always want to change others first and ourselves last. If everyone were to begin first with themselves, then there would be peace all around!“

“When the soul is mature, God will give it inner peace... Until the soul is ready, he will only sometimes allow us to see that he is present everywhere and fills all things. At these moments, the soul feels such joy! It feels as though it has everything! But then the Lord conceals himself from us again, in order that we might long for him and seek him with all our hearts!“