Of course, there are young people from whom God does not require much. However, out of love they take upon themselves many podvigs and, choosing the monastic life, bring Him more [of what He expects of them]. Such people will be crowned with double crowns. That is, if someone, who has an inclination to family life, out of great curiosity wants to sacrifice everything and embark on the path of monastic life, then this brings God to great tenderness. Such a person, however, should be careful that his motives are very pure: he should not do so out of pride. If a person observes this condition, then God will dispel all his difficulties.

Anxiety of young people about entering the chosen path

– Geronda, if a young man or a girl is worried about their marriage or going to a monastery, is it because of their unbelief?

– Not always. Often young people worry, thinking about how best to enter the chosen path and follow it, always being with God. This is a sign of [mental] health. If a young man does not think and does not worry about embarking on the chosen path, this first of all indicates that he is an indifferent person, and as a result, he will naturally not succeed. However, one must be careful that anxiety about marriage or monasticism does not become excessive, because the devil tries to distort this anxiety, turn it into spiritual anxiety and keep the minds of young men and women in constant confusion.

In order to remain peaceful, young people should entrust themselves to God. After all, the Good God, as a tender Father, acts where we can no longer do anything humanly. Young people should not rush and make immature decisions about which path they will take. I know young people who are very anxious and try to solve all their problems at once. Eventually, they get confused and drop out of school. For example, they have to graduate from university, and they are excessively worried about starting a family or going to a monastery. As a result, they fall behind in their studies and become even more confused. Everything cannot be done at once, and problems are not solved in this way. In order to help themselves, they must properly understand themselves and put everything on the shelves. First you need to get a diploma, then find a job (young men also need to serve in the army). And only after that, already being mature, can one make a decision and, with God's help, either marry and create a good family, or, if a person has chosen the monastic life, enter the monastery that he has chosen.

Therefore, I advise those young people who are studying and have similar anxiety to continue their studies, because they have not yet decided which path to take. I advise you to make the decision that will ripen in them later and will appeal to them. If they are kindly disposed, then with God's help, having slowly figured out how they should live – in marriage or celibacy, in a monastery – they will feel peace of mind.

We Must Help Young People Follow Their Calling