If the saints, having attained dispassion, had to be vigilant over themselves lest they fall from their blessed state, then all the more so do we sinners need daily attention and concern for our eternal salvation. The fact that we are still alive means that the Lord bears with our sins and awaits our correction, and if someone lawfully strives for salvation, the Lord takes them at the time when they become worthy of God's mercy. The lazy and negligent are taken by death after they cease to offer any hope for their salvation. We are given the freedom to choose eternal joy or sorrow; let us strive to choose the former. Saint Joseph of Optina