Acedia -Sadness - lost without a purpose, broken hearted and/or unstableNumb - indifferent, tired, lazy and/or disconnectedRestless - inner discontent, distracted, unsatisfied, uneasy, busy doing nothing, or bored, disorganized, enslaved and/or insecureAngry - moody, frustrated, disappointed, resentful, jealous, feeling entitled or above the law, irritable, feeling slighted or wronged, overly critical, and/or feeling threatened Some of these traits may seem like opposites, and they are, but that doesn't mean they don't all lead to the same "relaxation of soul," or distraction of the "latest greatest" or a hollow heart. See a lazy person has the same issues as someone that is overly busy, they both have lost their relationship with Christ; one through a lack of desire to pursue and one through desiring too many other things.Both have forgotten their identity as beloved, divine children of God. They have allowed the world to determine their worth, so they crash, feeling unworthy, or judged maybe not good enough, which leads them to give up, or to frantically over commit to work to show everyone how worthy they are, falling into he trap of never knowing when enough is enough. The later has great intentions and they may be doing great things, but they are not leaving space for a relationship with God. The way to overcome acedia is through perseverance and temperance. We need to know our identity and purpose and to finish what we start, but none of this can be driven by selfish motives.The evil one loves to plant seeds of doubt, of uncertainty, to make us feel entitled or insecure, which is bound to happen to all of us, as I am sure it did to Joseph, but the key is not to allow those seeds to take root or grow by maintaining our spiritual routines and prayer life; returning to God and building a healthy relationship with His son, just Joseph did. Subscribe at sonsofjoseph.substack.com