The most important thing a person must achieve in this life is to establish a close connection with God. It is important to remember that God wants to see the world through the eyes of icons, to feel the presence of God, and to bring all our actions, thoughts, and feelings before God’s judgment. In other words, we should think, “How will God respond to these thoughts, desires, and actions that I have done or want to do?”

We must eliminate the greatest sin – our forgetfulness of God and our separation from Him. When fear, doubt, desire, despondency, and so on arise, we should not immerse ourselves in these problems alone, but rather, we should pray to God for His help, protection, guidance, and enlightenment.

We may not be able to immediately detach ourselves from everything or attain enlightenment, but we can replace ordinary mental torments with prayer, which will be much more beneficial than the torment caused by our unresolved problems, internal disputes, complaints, fears, and passions.

The first thing we should do is ask God to enlighten us, to determine whether we need all of this, how to better understand it, and how to act more wisely. And when a calmer and more rational state comes, we will be able to receive God’s answer.

Secondly, we should remember what God wants from us, that we learn to do good, to treat people with love and compassion, and to perform good deeds. And we should think: “Is what I want to do good? Will it help anyone? Will it contribute to my development?” And if not, then: “Is this desire necessary? Where will it lead?” If it stems from the ego, from fear, anger, envy, or jealousy, it cannot lead to anything good: “In the end, life will teach me again, showing the foolishness and futility of such desires that lead to nothing.”

We should do what pleases God; only in that can we find our own good.