From "Letters to Spiritual Children," by Abbot Nikon (one of my favorite spiritual books)

Recognize your fallen nature and find comfort in the unfathomable love of God.

"He who rejects justified or unjustified criticism, rejects his own salvation." Whoever gains the ability to see his own sinfulness, sees not individual sins, but the complete distortion of his soul which constantly exudes all manner of evil; what's more, he sees that even his good deeds are saturated with the poison of sin. When a man sees this clearly, and likewise becomes convinced after a thousand incidents that he cannot heal the leprosy of his soul on his own, then he will genuinely (not artifically) humble himself, will stop judging others, and no longer take offense when his feelings are hurt. In others, too, he sees only the same fallen nature that he notices in himself and pities them as common friends in misfortune. He will then stop exalting some and belittling others. He will stop judging altogether for, on the one hand, everyone is fallen and, on the other hand, "human measure deceives" no matter how objective we try to be. How can a man then justify himself in his sinfulness? How can he be offended if someone accuses him of something he is seemingly not guilty of, when we all have a countless number of the worst possible sins which no one knows about thanks to the mercy of God, Who conceals them?

We should find comfort not in the supposedly good deeds we have done, but in the unfathomable love God has for us fallen creatures. We should find comfort in the Cross of Christ, in the fact that we are "the image of His ineffable glory though we bear the wounds of sin." Jesus Christ came to earth to "raise up the image that was fallen." Eternal gratitude is due to Him, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, from all creatures!

May all our good deeds vanish in His sight and from the depths of "God's image" may we cry out together with the publican: "God, be merciful to me, a sinner! God, be merciful to all of us sinners!" Then we shall leave this life justified, as the publican left the church, and we shall enter with the sheep into the eternal pasture.