Baptism, wedding, Christmas, Easter - these and other terms related to church life are firmly embedded in the life of Russians. For visiting the church they will no longer be kicked out of work - rather, on the contrary, they will look suspiciously at a person who has identified himself as an atheist. Being a believer has become fashionable, and fashion has both positive and negative sides. Therefore, a person must be aware of why he is going into the fold of the Church, what he wants to find there.
What is the church for? This question cannot be answered unambiguously, because believers and unbelievers will answer it differently. If for the former the Church is Truth and Life, then for the latter, at best, it is a kind of social non-governmental institution, the activity of which has some useful aspects.
The church gives a person the main thing - Faith, Hope, Love. For a believer, the question of whether there is God is meaningless, because all life is a visible confirmation of His existence. God is revealed to those who seek Him. How does a person embark on the path of faith? If his parents did not instill faith in him from childhood, then most often he comes to her in the days of difficult life trials. When a person has nothing to hope for, he turns to God. You can call it stupidity, an act of a weak, desperate person. And it can be said that for the first time in many years, something true was awakened in the soul of a confused person and reached for the Light. In the days when everything is well with him, a person does not turn to God without feeling the need for it. Craving for God usually wakes up during the period of life's upheavals.
To understand a believer, one must himself be a member of the Church. Observation from the outside in this case will not be objective, because it is impossible to understand the essence of faith, remaining aloof. This is the case when understanding requires your own experience. Having come to the Church, a person does not necessarily meet only the good in it. Not every believer is a model of kindness and humility; for the new believer, a person who is just beginning to comprehend the basics of faith, the period of churching can become a rather difficult test. Everything is unusual, incomprehensible, ignorance of the rules of church etiquette can cause complaints from parishioners. At this stage, many people who are drawn to God leave the Church forever or temporarily. But those who remain have a wonderful opportunity to touch a huge layer of spiritual heritage. First of all, through church literature. For the Russian Orthodox Church, this, of course, is the book of the Old and New Testaments, as well as the works of the Holy Fathers. It is in the books of the Holy Fathers that one can discover the inexhaustible source of wisdom and faith. Isaac Sirin, Ignatius Brianchaninov, John of Kronstadt, Theophan the Recluse and many others - their books are full of Truth and can provide invaluable help to any person.
Does the Church make a person better? Yes. By reading the books of the Holy Fathers, a believer can realize many of his mistakes, get rid of bad character traits. Become calmer, softer, kinder. And stronger because faith is a tremendous force. The believer feels himself to be a conductor of God's will, he feels God behind him, which gives him perseverance, courage, patience, and readiness to endure any trials with honor. Moreover, he not only believes in God, but also believes in God. He does not believe at random, not because he simply chose to believe - he knows that help is actually being provided, because he received it hundreds, thousands of times. Once it may be a coincidence, two, ten, but when help is provided time after time, when he sees that sincere prayer and faith in God allow the most difficult situations to be turned for the better, he no longer needs confirmation. He knows that God is, sees how the Lord helps him, keeps, leads through life. The church becomes its stronghold, support. In this support, in daily communion with God, he draws his strength.
