Ever since I was little I can remember going to church and praying. It wasn’t drilled in my head, but it was always said: “when something goes wrong, just pray.” Now, that is all I do. When something goes wrong I pray, but that is not the only reason why I pray.
Praying isn’t something that I just do when something goes wrong, I use to think that. Now that I am older, I pray a lot more. I pray all the time. I pray because even when things are right in my life there is always something that could go wrong. Praying for me isn’t just sitting on my knees complaining about everything in my life. Here is why I pray;
I pray because I want more. Which this makes me sound selfish right? Actually it shouldn't. When I pray for more, I pray for more signs. More signs that will show me how to be a better person all around. While praying for more, I always ask what more can I do in my life that will fulfill my purpose.
I pray because I ask for forgiveness. On a daily basis, I pretty much do things that I know that I should not be doing. These are not even necessarily actions, but thoughts also. Asking forgiveness means that I am asking for another chance. I recognize what I am doing wrong, and while I pray, I ask how I can fix it.
I pray to think. I pray to think, because when I am praying I am not just silent. Sometimes I write out my prayers, and sometimes I speak them. Praying helps me think. Have you ever been able to not figure something out? Every time I am like that, I pray. Praying helps me figure out what is going on in my head, and lets me think it out.
I pray to have a conversation. Praying to me is like having a conversation. Sometimes it is easy, and sometimes it is hard. I remember sitting on the floor one day, and I just started talking. No formal “Dear Lord” or anything like that. It was just a conversation, because it is something that I needed to have. When I pray I do not have to hide anything, which makes the conversation easy. It may not be a formal prayer, but I always end with “Thank you Lord for listening.”
I pray because it is safe. Praying to me is safe. It is something that will always be there no matter what. At my church, we have these cards to fill out, and on the back it says, “what are your next steps.” For the past month, I have written in that blank that, "my next step is to pray." When I pray I know that everything will be okay.
Praying for me has never been anything to prove that I am a true religious person. Praying has been something that shows me that even in these crazy times, as long as I pray, everything will be okay.
