The world in its true colours could be harsh and monochromatic in its appearance, but the individual capability of each one of us helps us to perceive the world in a different perspective and paints a different picture for each one of us. The capacity to look beyond the appearance of how life portrays itself lies with very few. And those who are unable to see the beauty of life under its veil are often those of us who get down and depressed with life’s shackles too easily. So what is the way that one can see light beyond the never ending tunnel of struggle and miseries?
Prayer is hope
Prayer is but a reason which provides us with a hope. It also takes the authority of our lives other than us to a higher one. This eases out the stress and pressure of performance. We neither blame ourselves for all our failures and hardships nor take all the credit for something favorable happening to us, but become answerable to a supreme power you might like to call ‘God’. We establish a relationship with a power which is larger and greater than our own and surrender under his will. We then begin to do our best in order to please that supreme power and also accept our mistakes and are ready to improve upon the same.
This is possible only when the pivot of our attention shifts from self to the supreme. The pressure is eased out.When our view towards our own life shifts its point of view, problems and obstacles start to look like opportunities for growth and learning. We start to look at our struggles as the challenges put forth by the authority we are answerable to, and we are ready to face the challenge head on.
And in a not-so-desirable situation when things do not shape up the way we like, we are ready to accept it. And remember that acceptance is the key to a blissful life; not only spiritually, but in the worldly context too.
What happens when you pray?
Prayers help you to declutter your mind. The mind is focused and is more centered when one turns to prayer. The useless thoughts and unreasonable expectations out of life and self are automatically streamlined and we become more reasonable. Prayers tune us with the present and we become a bit less anxious about the future and less remorseful about the past. The tag word changes from ‘then’ to ‘now’.
Prayer makes us more aware of the situations around us, the reason for them and also helps us to find a way out if the situations do not seem to be favorable ones. The awareness is not only about the situations but our own shortcomings like laziness, arrogance, fear, jealousy, anger, hate…and the list could be endless. Prayer in a way helps us to see the mirror; the true picture of ourselves.
The relationship we think we are making with God is actually a deeper relationship with our own consciousness and our subconscious selves. It helps us to heal from within and lets us forgive others and ourselves too.
Whom and how to pray
This is the main point of argument between people who pray and the ones who do not. But remember, there is no right or wrong way to pray. Anything which aligns you with the divine in you could be defined as prayer. Anything which brings the best version of you in the forefront could be called a prayer. It could be spending time with nature, caring for fellow humans and living beings, music, meditation and so forth.
In other words, anything which allows you to pause and ponder to reflect upon the purpose of your life and helps you to identify what is actually the center of your life can be called a prayer.
Prayers make miracles happen. If you haven’t seen miracles in your life, then it certainly doesn’t mean you haven’t prayed enough; it only means that it’s not the right time — at least not yet! So hang in there and pray on…
