I think that sometimes, or maybe even many times, a worldly person is an ascetic without even realizing it. A devout Orthodox friend of mine who's my age and is diversely talented to a degree that would likely allow him to work in any field of his choice. Yet, he remains in the same job in the same nasty factory simply because the pay is greater than the pay he would earn if he left to go somewhere else and do something nicer. He doesn't care about money or material things, rather, his only concern seems to be what he should do to please the Lord. The money he earns is to be used to provide for his wife in her old age, as he claims he will not be here in this world for very many more years. He gives whatever more he earns than he figures needs to be saved either to His parish or to the poor. His skin is usually dried out and itchy because of long hours spent working in the cold air, or else his skin is burned and scarred by the powdered limestone he's exposed to at work, as a material used in that manufacturing process. In the winter time his fingers are often frozen to numbness due to poor circulation in them, and burning in pain whenever they are being thawed out. This is only a fraction of the hardships and discomfort he chooses to accept on the path that he's convinced God wills for him to walk. Time doesn't allow a full description of all that he does.
The thing is though, that he himself mostly fails to realize how much he suffers or the extent of his sacrifice, because he is convinced that he must do more to please God because he is not by any means worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven. This particular friend of mine is not the only one I know who is like this -- not at all. There are many such ascetics living and serving God in the world. We sure would do well to have more though.
I think so anyhow.
