Personal Preface, then “Lessons from Leo Tolstoy” – An Article via BioLogos

I was raised in the Christian faith; it stayed with me as an adult, and has seen me through five decades so far.

For pretty well the whole of my adult life, I’ve also been a Rusophile.   There is a special place in my heart, in my soul, for the Russians.   Ukrainians too, for that matter.   My friends, you know who you are.

Since learning as a young adult about the Cold War that America had with Russia, my desire to understand the Russian people and help find common ground between our peoples became a life-long commitment.

Reading Tolstoy was one of the activities that solidified my connection somehow between my faith an my cultural/political interest in the Russians.  Anyone who’s even remotely aware of Russian literature is aware of Tolstoy.  Though he wrote epic verse, one passage in particular attributed to him stands out for me and has guided much of my most difficult moments in life.  It goes something like this…

“…you struggle in life because you strive to fulfill your own will, rather than God’s Will.   You will find happiness and contentment to the degree that you pursue God’s Will in your life; you will then be in touch with who you are truly meant to be.”

Something like that.

You can read more about Tolstoy and his faith via the following link, with the brief intro from the site, as such:

Famed author Leo Tolstoy went through a faith journey that ultimately led him back to Christ. His reflections can reassure those of us who have lingering questions and give us hope.
— Read on biologos.org/articles/struggling-and-searching-lessons-from-leo-tolstoy