We all should be completely wound down from the Holiday Season, and all revved & geared up to kick the New Year into shape. New routines have fallen into place by this point and life in 2014 should be pretty acclimated. As we push forward with all the months of this year still ahead of us, we must remember to take the time to appreciate the present.
Recently, I had a conversation with my Mommy and she told me about an experience she had while indulging in breakfast at IHOP. At the table next to her was an old man, approximately late 70’s, and at the table across from her was a family with a child around the age of four. The two people she observed experienced a moment that solicited the same response, but for very different reasons. In the background, there was someone celebrating a birthday, and it had come to the point where the serving staff was bringing out the birthday cake and beginning to sing happy birthday. The child’s face lit up brighter than the 4th of July fireworks show and she began to bounce up and down in the seat for joy, uber excited. The old man witnessed the same scene and a big grin spread across his face. His body became more relaxed and he appeared to be in a calming state. He too was happy. It was at this moment that Mommy realized that the two were happy for different reasons; the young girl excited about birthdays to come, and the old man reflective about birthdays past. This made me think about what life looks like in the middle, and how wonderful it is that God created this time for growth, development, and the opportunity to choose him.
A friend of mine asked me if God already has your life mapped out and knows everything you’re going to decide, then why pray. The conclusion I’ve come to is because of free will. While God implemented the ultimate design, we as people still have the right to choose, and there are people in life that God knows will never choose him, for example great leaders in their capacity like Mahatma Ghandi who was Hindu or Philip Randolph whom identified as atheist never chose God; however, it is written that “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” (Proverbs 19:17) I’m sure their kind acts did not go unnoticed and that even though they didn’t pray to the God we Christians pray to, they reflected, meditated, prayed about their issues to something. Prayer/meditation serves as the medium by which communication to the higher power is transmitted. Prayer is God’s telephone.
Overall, Prayer helps keep me grounded and focused on the bigger picture. It gives me a reason to hope in a world which at times seems desolate and degenerate. Most of the time, I spend my days fretting about work, the mistakes I've made in the past, or apprehensive about the future. It is through prayer that I feel closest to God and I am reassured that no matter how bad things may seem, everything will be okie dokie artichokie. It is during times of prayer when I feel truly at peace, when I indulge in my own slice of birthday cake.
This really hits home for me, because I feel like I'm in that awkward middle mark of my life. All I want to do is know that I am on the right path and that eventually I will see the steps on the path that he has for me. I have been learning to pray and reading to gain spiritual growth, so your words and insight are greatly appreciated!
ReplyDelete