My beautiful Tewahedo Orthodox sister, never make the Church optional. It is not just one activity among many. It is the foundation of your life. No school, no work, no friendships, and no plans should ever come before the Church.
Wake up on Sundays with joy to go to God’s house. Let your heart be glad even before you arrive. Feel the happiness of being in the presence of our living God. The Church is where you can receive Holy Communion. You need the Church. It is your lifeline, your refuge, and your source of grace.
Everything else in life finds its proper place only when God comes first. Education may shape your mind, work may provide for your body, friendships may comfort your heart, but the Church saves your soul. If you gain the whole world yet neglect the life of the Church, what have you truly gained?
Don’t say, “I am too busy for Church.” A life too busy for God slowly loses its way. Make time for the One who gives you time. Let Sunday be sacred. Let feast days be honored. Let fasts be protected. These are not burdens. They are gifts that guard your soul and strengthen your spirit.
Choose the Church even when it requires sacrifice, when it means waking up early, standing longer, saying no to plans, or being misunderstood. These sacrifices are never wasted. God sees every effort made out of love for Him and blesses obedience in ways unseen.
When the Church is first in your life, everything else falls into order. God becomes your anchor, your compass, your peace. Wisdom flows from the Church to guide your mind, strength to empower your work, and discernment to guard your heart. When God is first, nothing is lost. Everything is redeemed.
So stand firm, my beautiful sister. Guard the Church’s place in your life with holy devotion. Let nothing and no one take its place. When others question why you go, when they laugh, mock, or call it uncool, still choose the Church. Speak of it boldly, with joy in your heart and unwavering faith in your soul.
When you choose the Church, you are choosing Christ Himself. In choosing Christ, you are choosing life, truth, and eternal salvation. As you step into the Church, let your heart rejoice, for there is no place more sacred, more uplifting, or more filled with God’s presence than our beautiful Tewahedo Orthodox Church.
And always remember, the Church is never optional.
“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the LORD.”
— Psalm 122:1—
Selam Seyoum
Tewahedo Orthodox Girl 