Nothing is wasted where God is concerned. God can use everything in our lives for redemptive purposes. Tikhon (Timothy) of Zadonsk (1724-1783) was born into extreme poverty in Russia. He spent his childhood in hard peasant labor in exchange for a daily slice of bread.
As a thirteen-year-old, he was given a state grant to enter seminary and excelled in his studies. He later became a bishop and monk in the Russian Orthodox Church. Though he lived in a monastery, he longed to minister among peasants and common people. He often traveled to neighboring villages to visit the poor and imprisoned. He was once engaged in conversation at a friend’s home with a nobleman who didn’t believe in God. Tikhon gently refuted the man’s atheism. The nobleman suddenly lashed out and struck him in the face. Tikhon responded by falling at the man’s feet and begging forgiveness for having led him to such irritation. Tikhon’s humble gesture stunned the nobleman and softened his heart, leading to his conversion. Tikhon said to any who would listen, “Forgiveness is better than revenge.” Fyodor Dostoevsky was sufficiently impressed with his character that he modeled the spiritual dynamism of Elder Zosima in The Brothers Karamazov after Tikhon and his teachings. Today’s prayer includes excerpts from Tikhon’s prayer: