My mother had an old icon of St. John. Nicholas the Wonderworker. There was no mother, there was no icon. Wrapped in a rag, put in a chest, carried to the closet. No one began to pray before the icon: there is no faith in Christ or in the saints in the soul.
Time has passed. I was going through some things in a trunk, and this icon of St. Nicholas caught my eye. I took it in my hands, looked at it, looked at me with a strict, almost harsh face. The longer I look, the more I feel in the face of this great wisdom, as if the saint wanted to tell me something very important for my life. Suddenly my heart was pinched, it began to speak: a feeling inside was ashamed. I feel bad. How long has the icon been lying, and I have never remembered it! I brought it into the room, put it in a corner. No, no, I’ll take a look at St. Wonderworker. Sometimes I cross. The soul is callous, unresponsive, empty. No faith, no.
Late one night I lie in bed with my eyes closed: there is no sleep, thoughts wander in my head. Suddenly I hear over my ear, “My daughter!” The words were clear and clear. I didn’t give it much importance. I forgot. Three days have passed. It all happened again, only the words I heard others say, “I have waited a long time for you.” I unwittingly put the two phrases together. I was thinking. What does that mean? Whose voice is that? No doubt it was from the icon! I realized that St. Nicholas was waiting for me to address him.
What is love for a man, what is patience! For many years, God’s people waited for me to finally see and turn to the Lord. I did not know the prayers, but I asked the saint for forgiveness. Since then, I have approached him with faith and awe. We understand what God means to us, our Savior. He lived in my heart for the rest of my life. How much I lost before, how long my sinful soul longed for communion with God!
I began to join the Church, taught my children to pray and believe in God. It is impossible to convey the feelings that settled in me when, through the Sacraments of the Church, I became connected with the Lord. Now we have the power to live, believe, love and win. I started looking at everything and everyone with different eyes.
Tamara Ivanova, Saratov
The Holy Land Charitable Foundation
Soul investment!
Orthodox stories from life
