How do we start something new in life? Why shouldn’t we be afraid to take risks? How can we overcome the fear of change? The Venerable Ilya Muromets has all the answers.
Prayer and Making the First Step
This is easier said than done. And yet, the Lord has the power for much more than the miracles that we expect from life. Do you have a dream that seems impossible? Try to start praying regularly to God about it. Believe me, even if it does not come true, a number of other changes will take place in your life. You will be surprised by the new opportunities and inexhaustible source of inspiration that you will discover.
Until the age of 30, Ilya Muromets was bedridden with paralysis. What hope was there for a man looking at the world through the windows of his hut for three decades? High-tech clinics and exoskeletons were not around then. The beggars, once coming to Ilya’s house and putting him on his feet, appeared for a reason. God used them to respond to the saint’s prayer and patience. Overcoming his fear, Ilya made the first step towards a new life. This was his first victory.
Sometimes we deeply desire something, but we are afraid to make the first step. Ilya’s example tells us that in spite of being the most difficult one, it opens the door to tremendous changes in our life.
Do Not Be Slow
That’s right. Act soon. Life is motion. Having made your first step, you should not stop. Can any of us think of becoming an MMA fighter after being paralysed for 30 years and without a proper background? Ilya Muromets did just that, joining the squad of the Kiev prince and becoming its best warrior. The saint became the best of the best, joining the troops that were not only the personal guard of the Russian ruler, but also the first to react to foreign invasions and civil strifes.
Keep your eyes on the prize. Do not use age, education, environment or inadequate conditions as excuses for your own hesitancy. Think of a million examples of people accepting challenges in circumstances that seemed to contradict common sense and achieved great success.
It’s Never too Late for Change
You may have been living a quiet life and doing your usual business, and then bang … you were fired, the company went bankrupt, or perhaps your profession became outdated, and your job is now done by a robot with AI. What can you do about it? Master new skills.
We do not know what made Ilya Muromets suddenly replace his iron sword with a spiritual one. Possibly, a serious injury. And yet, the venerable did not give up and went to the Kiev-Pechersk monastery, where he ended his days as a pious monk. His canonization proves that the saint’s new undertaking was also a success.
Pray, take risks, test yourself, accept challenges of life and do not be afraid of change. Remember that your most reliable Ally is always on your side.
Translated by The Catalogue of Good Deeds
Source: https://jesus-portal.ru/life/blogs/sokrytaya-rus/novogodnyaya-motivaciya-ot-prepodobnogo-ilii-muromca/
