The following collection of quotes was graciously assembled by Courtney Haubert.
If you say “I want to feel better, but nothing seems to work. I just want to give up”,
Saint Peter of Damascus replies:
“Patient endurance kills the despair that kills the soul; it teaches the soul to take comfort and not to grow listless in the face of its many battles and afflictions.”
If you say “Nothing seems to be going right in my life. Every time I try something new, it always just falls apart. Why bother trying?”,
Saint Nilus of Sinai replies:
“Do not be always wanting everything to turn out as you think it should, but rather as God pleases, then you will be undisturbed and thankful in your prayer.”
If you say “I don’t want to bother my friends with my problems. I feel like they’ll judge me, or won’t understand,”
Saint Nikodemos replies,
“The genuineness of a friend is shown at a time of trial, if he shares the distress you suffer.”
If you say “I feel like I’m a terrible person. I can’t stop thinking about all the awful things I’ve done. How could God forgive me?”,
Saint John Chrysostom replies: “Be ashamed when you sin, not when you repent.”
If you say, “I’m so frustrated and irritated all the time. Other people are the worst!”
Saint Maximus the Confessor replies: “When a trial comes upon you unexpectedly, do not blame the person through whom it came, but try to discover why it came, and then you will find a way of dealing with it.”
If you say “Sometimes I feel like I’m all alone, like God doesn’t care about my suffering,”
Saint John Chrysostom replies: “God has not forgotten the man to whom He sends sufferings and trials, but in this way is proving His closeness to him.”
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