How should an Orthodox Christian regard signs, and can we interpret them correctly? This question first crossed my mind after experiencing some unusual coincidences in my life.

Professionally, I am a public relations specialist. My work is project-based: I complete one assignment and then search for the next. During one such prolonged job search period, I began praying to Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. Then, what seemed to me a miracle occurred.

On December 19, Saint Nicholas' feast day, I received a call offering me a job as a PR specialist at a nightclub. I decided this was definitely divine providence and a sign that I should accept the job. I saw nothing wrong with the role of a PR specialist itself; what troubled me was something else. At the time, I was beginning to become more involved in the church, and I had duties at a monastery. It turned out that in the morning, I would be managing social media for an Orthodox project, talking about God, and in the evening, I would be promoting a less-than-chaste lifestyle.

I sought a compromise with my conscience and consulted a monk, Father Ioann, who advised me against taking the job. Then I approached another priest, Father Dmitry. He remained silent, which I took as an implicit approval.

Things unfolded as I expected: I spent my days at church and my evenings at the financially more lucrative job. Yet, at night, a sense of unease would creep in. It felt like I was doing something wrong. "But Saint Nicholas himself helped me find this job," I kept telling myself.

The businesses I worked for flourished, and I was sent on a business trip to southern Russia for negotiations. The next day, I was in Sochi. However, I could not start my work. That evening, a stranger attacked me on the street, trying to rob me. I clung to my bag with the laptop, and when he tried to snatch it, I fell and was dragged along the asphalt. I kept my valuables, but injured my knee badly, rendering it immobile. I had to return to my hometown for treatment.

A year later, I was preparing for another meeting to sign a collaboration agreement. The day before, I met with Father Dmitry again and shared my plans. He advised me not to rush and to seek God's will first. His advice seemed unclear to me, and I did not heed it.

The next day, I fell off an electric scooter. The result: open wounds, three weeks on sick leave, and scars on both knees. Needless to say, I did not go on the trip.

I thought this was not a sign but a series of unfortunate coincidences. But why were they happening? Seeking answers, I went to see the priest.

"Father Dmitry, how is this possible? I asked God for a job, prayed, and He gave it to me, but I can't work," I complained.

"Svetlana, tell me, what are the fruits of your work?" the priest asked.

This unexpected question made me truly reflect. I looked at everything that had happened in my life over the past few years from a completely different perspective. I realized I should not rely on so-called signs but on God's commandments.

From this perspective, the fruits of my work were spaces that, thanks to me, had become popular for the corruption of human souls. After talking to the priest, I consciously resigned from that job. Over time, I found a completely different one, one that was constructive rather than destructive.

I learned to be very cautious about what we call signs. Often, we seek answers to our questions not in God's commandments but in miracles and wonders. If we tried to live each day with a sense of Christ's presence, we could avoid many mistakes.

Original article: https://radiovera.ru/znaki-ili-promysl-bozhij-svetlana-bakulina.html