Why does it sometimes feel like grace has been stolen?translated

Reader question:

Hello! Why does it sometimes feel like your grace has been stolen from you? For example, I smiled throughout the service on the throne day, it was so good. And when finished, I sat down on a bench to rest, waiting for the right person. And suddenly a friend who was very late for the service says to me: “It’s a holiday, and you’re sitting with such a mournful face!” And the joy disappeared, the mood deteriorated. Why did this happen? What's wrong with me? The unfair remark unsettled me.

Tatiana

Priest's answer:

Priest Victor NIKISHOV

God bless you!

It is impossible to steal grace, no matter how cunning the thief may be. The event you described is a temptation that occurs constantly in spiritual life. You experienced joy, and then someone destroyed this joy with one word. Why does this happen?

Grace is not your property. It is given as a gift, but God does not leave it constantly, so that a person does not become attached to sensations, but learns to live by faith. Saint Theophan the Recluse explains it this way:

“Sometimes we take on a lot and expect a lot from our efforts... So the Lord takes grace and leaves one, as if saying: try to the best of your ability.”

The enemy is not...