My heart was empty

 

 
Eurydice Makri Ioannou | believe.gr
October 18, 2025
Athens

 

I was born in a remote mountain village in Evrytania, Greece in 1955. Next to the Acheloos River, where the borders of 4 prefectures meet: Karditsa, Aitoloakarnania, Arta, Evrytania. 

My family was very poor and I was the third of 4 children in the family. 

My parents were illiterate and as for religion, Orthodox. 

I learned from a young age the rituals observed in this religion: Church attendance, incense to exorcise the devil, pilgrimages to icons, pilgrimages to monasteries, vows and more. 

I exercise all these rituals till the age of 11,5. Then I I left for the city to live in an Orthodox boarding school and continue my 6-year high school. Difficult years in many ways.

During my student years, I remember that I had a certain fear of God. When I faced difficult situations, I would go to a temple that was nearby, kneel down and pray. I had no idea that God was listening to me and would answer, but I saw prayer as a release. As I prayed for my problem, the burden was lifted from me. 

After high school, I came to Athens to study. I stayed in an Orthodox boarding school again for two years. Then, I went to the University Student Residence to complete my law studies. 

I thank God for all those who helped me in my life, and I have been praying to God for years to help them and repay them. 

When I was already 25 years old, I had my own family and was a civil employee. 

It was then that God began to work in my life, bringing me reflections on what the purpose of life is. I was thinking: 

I am 25 years old, I have lived a third of my life. I have two-thirds of my life left. What if I live that too? 

What is the purpose of my life, since I will die? 

Whatever I achieve, it has no meaning for I will die. 

My heart was empty. It could not be satisfied with anything. I remember here the verse from Ecclesiastes: 

“All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied.” 

I could not find anything to fill my heart. 

Here in Athens, I had a spiritual father, the spiritual father of the Student Center. In one of my confessions, I raised my problem, a problem of the heart. 

I told him that, although I participate in church life and observe all the formalities, why doesn't my life change? Why isn't my heart filled? 

He then recommended to me and lent me a book that discussed and analyzed on all its pages the following prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me." 

This book was only read by those who wanted to meditate. It contained inhalation and exhalation techniques based on which you had to recite every syllable and every word of this prayer. I was pressured to read almost the entire thing in order to help myself, but it created more confusion to me. 

After this and over a period of about two years, two things happened that radically changed my life and made it take a 180-degree turn. 

The first thing: 

Someone from my close family circle announced her intention to join monasticism. This caused panic, upheaval and mourning in her family environment. 

I was also sad that she would go to be locked up in a monastery, although she had a very good university education. However, I admired this decision, thinking the following: 

Okay, she will sacrifice herself for 20, 30, 40 years, but she will go to heaven. I had learned to believe in internal life in the boarding schools and visits-excursions to monasteries. 

The second thing: 

Someone gave us a book at that time which dealt with various religious issues. 

What particularly impressed me in this book was a statement by the author, who said that the Holy Bible does not say anywhere to wear black and go to the monasteries. 

The author of the book even referred to two verses from the New Testament, from the book of John and the letter to the Corinthians 1: 

“Father, I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one” (John 17/15) 

“I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler.” (1 Corinthians 5/9-11) 

I was led after this to read the entire Holy Bible (Old and New Testament), from Genesis to Revelation, researching, with great interest, and looking for any reference to monasticism. 

When I finished reading, I did not find a single word there about monasticism and monasteries. In fact, I encountered positions that were contrary to monasticism. 

The most important thing, however, from this reading of the Bible, was that I had discovered God through its pages! 

This reading of the Bible was to change my entire life. 

Through the Holy Bible, I discovered the voice of God, which I had never heard, nor read, nor known. 

This word of God solved all my questions, and led me to the Salvation of Jesus Christ. 

Very quickly I understood that this entire book has one purpose, to lead man to Salvation. 

The miraculous thing about this whole story is that at that time I was looking to find the purpose of life, and God revealed it to me through His word! He revealed to me that my purpose is heaven, the eternal kingdom with Him. 

His word, the Bible, shocked me! It penetrated my soul, and crushed my sinful heart. 

Then I repented of all my sinful past and believed in God's salvation: In the salvation of Christ on the Cross and in His Resurrection from the dead! 

Then the whole burden of sin left me. 

In this Book I discovered Christ and a new path of life and love. 

I found a treasure within the pages of the Bible. 

I found the forgiveness of my sins. 

Now I know where I come from and where I am going. 

Today I have hope of resurrection and eternal life. 

Now I live by the word of God. I feed on daily it and I feel fullness and serenity in the person of Jesus Christ, who is now the Lord of my life. 

After that, I thought I had to see that person who had decided to join monasticism. So, I traveled with the Bible in my hand and visited her. 

I told her, “If you want to go, go, but first listen to what the word of God says here.” 

And with the Scriptures opened, we red together more than 100 verses, for a whole day from morning to night. 

I will mention some of these verses to you: 

“Father (Christ said of His disciples) I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.” (John 17/15) 

“I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler.” (1 Corinthians 5/9-10) 

“Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God.” (Romans 5/1) 

“For by grace you have been saved, through faith; and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2/8-9) 

“Salvation is found in no one else (except Christ), for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4/12) 

Despite all my efforts and the verses of the Bible, she did not change the decision she had made. 

She told me characteristically: “If I had not a strong, solid foundation, you would have persuaded me.” 

I remind you of what King Agrippa said to Paul: “In a short time you persuade me to become a Christian” (Acts 26/28). 

In conclusion, I want to say that the person who seeks God will find Him. What matters is to walk with Him, to study His word daily, to obey Him and to be vigilant, so as not to sin. 

Since then, I urge every person, who seeks the Truth, to read the written word of God, the only truth in the world! 

The Bible is an endless miracle and a mystery, it is the very voice of God in the world. A book that you read and reread for a lifetime, and it never ends! 

With this confession of mine, today: I proclaim and proclaim, once again, to the visible and invisible world: 

That Christ died in my place on the cross. He paid the penalty for my sin with His blood. 

On the third day He rose from the dead and lives forever. That He is my Lord and my God and I await Him to come again. 

To Him belongs the glory and the power and the authority forever and ever.

Eurydice Makri Ioannou 

Athens, October 18, 2025