Prepare not to die

We should prepare not to die. There’s a saying which goes “if you die before you die, you won’t die when you die”. Our preparation, which should be ongoing throughout our lives, consists of the following four points:

1. We should be dead to sin all the time.
2. We shouldn’t take heart from any good we’ve done for ourselves and should avoid self-praise.
3. However much we err, we shouldn’t despair.
4. We should be aware that God allows us to sin in order to humble us. Otherwise, we can’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

» Elder Anthimos of Saint Anne