I did not know the right way of praying to God until my second year of polytechnic study.
When I was studying in polytechnic years ago, I wasn't a happy person. I could not get along with my classmates because I simply cannot accept their way of doing things. You can say, I have difficulties fitting in. Perhaps my life would be better if I have been a more forgiving and accepting person. I would have spared myself of the unhappiness and back-stabbing. However, that is another story...
I was so unhappy that I once asked God not to let me meet those classmates again. Sure enough, God answered my prayers, in another way. I failed my second year of polytechnic study and had to repeat that year while the rest of my friends advance to third year. God granted my wish. But it is not the outcome I desired. Later in my life, I realised that I have been selfish and had made the wrong prayers to God.
We will not receive everything we asked, nor can we have everthing we want. This is because these requests that we have made to God are statements of lack. Making such prayers indicates our self-centreness. Our hearts and minds are not magnanimous and all request we made are for ourselves, not the benefits of others.
The correct prayer is therefore, never a prayer of supplication, but a prayer of gratitude. When we beg and supplicate, there will be a smaller chance that we will experience what we think we are choosing. This is because the Sponsoring Thought (a.k.a. Controlling Thought) behind every supplication is that we do not have now what we wish for. That Sponsoring Thought becomes a reality and we will have none. When we have none, we continue to ask for more. This endless cycle of requesting makes us an unsatisfying and an unhappy person. That is the root of suffering.
The only way to override this thought is to have faith that God will grant whatever is asked, without fail. The process of prayer will become easier when, rather than having to believe that God will always say "yes" to every request, we understand intuitively that reqest itself is not necessary. Then the prayer will become a prayer of thanksgiving. It will become a statement of gratitude. Thankfulness is the most powerful statement to God. It is an affirmation that before we asked, God had already answered our prayers. Therefore, never supplicate. Appreciate.
When I meet some inter-personal relationship problems at work, being my personality, I begin think that I am being not accepted because I am a new staff. I have a constant feeling that a particular collegue do not like me. These thoughts hindered my friendliness towards him. I could not smile properly to him. I think he must have catch my body language and react to me in the same way. Well, after these past experience I had, I knew that I had to improve the working relationship.
I prayed to God to help me be more courageous to face my troubles. I asked God to help me get along with my collegues. As a result of such prayers, I am mentally and spiritually stronger. The next day, I am able to smile broadly to that collegue. To my surprise, he responded with a broad smile. I began to feel more confident with this working relationship. For the rest of the day, we started communicating for the first time and Iam looking forward to this working relationship.
We are all humans and we have our own strengths and weakness. Recogonise, acknowledge and accept our strengths and weaknesses helps us to know ourselves better. We will know how to position ourselves for a better future and a positive relationships. We will also have a clear idea of what we actually needs and will be able to make sensible prayers to God.
Article Inspired from:
Conversations with God - Book One.
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