Question
I often feel misunderstood, and that I need to help others to understand me. What is the correct Orthodox Christian way to deal with these thoughts?
Answer
Yes, our desire that others should understand us is a natural one, but…
We must understand that only God knows us fully, even better in fact than we know ourselves. So we should learn to turn to Him in prayer first whenever we have such thoughts.
Others cannot understand us as God does, but some persons (more than we think) understand us more than we think they do.
Better than trying to “teach” others about ourselves, is prayer to God, who is able to inform the hearts of our fellow about us on the deepest level of our existence.
Patience and love for others when they don’t seem to understand us - otherwise known as humblemindedness and forgiveness - are necessary for progress in the Christian life.