God Made Heaven and Earth

In this morning's reading from The Prologue of Ochrid, St. Nikolai pointed out that to consider things just from a "earthly" point of view is to ignore half of creation since God made ". . .the heavens and the earth." This struck me as a simple, yet profound defense against the argument that to seek heavenly things is "unrealistic" or "pie in the sky" or some such thing. I've often shied away from devotion to God because of external (and internal) voices warning me against becoming "too religious" or "too heavenly-minded." In reality, becoming "too heavenly-minded" is the least of my worries. I'm a lover of pleasure and would succumb to hedonism with all my heart if God failed to continually and patiently encourage me to struggle against this. One of the greatest benefits of struggling to live a traditional Orthodox life is the development of an appreciation for asceticism. This is perhaps most vividly demonstrated by the lives of monastics, whose witness is a constant source of inspiration and "salt" for those of us who have the responsibilities of families, jobs, natural talents, etc. Things like fasting used to seem inconsequential to me. But I was wrong. We recently were given a copy of "A Spiritual Testament Regarding Fasting and Preparation for Confession" written by a pious Russian priest in 1942 to his spiritual children. He wrote in part: "Think of how easy and inconsequential the fast imposed upon Adam and Eve was. They could eat of every tree in Paradise with the exception of one. And yet look at the consequences of their disobedience." God made the heavens and the earth. Since I am so naturally attached to the earth, it takes great effort to attach myself in the least little bit to heaven. This, to me, is the essence of an ascetic life.