Bookaholic and God

Do you all pray to God? Who do you turn to in difficult times? Being born and brought up in a Hindu family, I was always taught to pray daily before school so that God could bless us with knowledge and willingness to be a good performers in school. Well, these small prayer sessions turned into praying twice daily, keeping fasts and visiting temples regularly as I grew up, sometimes without any reason and sometimes with the desire to get something in return. We as a family used to go on a trip to our village every year where our parents made sure that certain temples were included in our itinerary and my sister and I used to go because we loved staying in hotels, eat what we want and buy toys near temples. When we were a little older our parents enrolled us for a religious summer camp where they taught us Yoga, meditation and since we were all just kids arranged certain games etc. for us. We practiced all this at home as well daily till the time we went into college and got busy with other things.

Time passed and one day I realized I had stopped praying completely, I did have a temple in my rented apartment but it was used for praying only on certain festivals. I believe everyone has there own way of speaking to God, some would prefer to pray for hours whereas others would just like to fold their hands and bow they head for a minute. There is no right or wrong way, and I have realized by praying we are just trying to release the negative thoughts or energy within us. We are just trying to make our conscience aware that there is a power above us all and it is protecting us no matter what, and once I stopped praying I think my system went into shock..Haha...It started reminding me that something was missing by giving me anxiety attacks and as usual my only safe haven after my family was "God". I am not sure about you but I truly, deeply and madly am a firm believer that there is a supreme power and if you pray to it hard enough it answers or at least gives you an indication of what needs to be done, I know most of you would be thinking that I sound stupid and the only supreme power that gives you what you are looking for is "The Universe" and you are not wrong since universe does give you what you deserve but how does the universe decide what is right and what is wrong for you? Can TV switch to a channel that you like on it's own?

It is very important to understand the small signals given by God since if you expect him to magically remove any obstacles or troubles that you are facing then that might not be the case. Meditation would bring you closer to your inner self and thus bring you closer to God, thus giving you the strength to stand up each time you fall. I am sure the road to become one with God is not as easy as it sounds but I am taking baby steps since it is what gives me peace and makes sure that I stay grounded. Religion does not hold you back, it gives you wings to fly and reach places that you have never ever seen in life. If you feel stuck in life and have nowhere to go, just sit down, take a few deep breaths and Pray. Try to read religious scriptures to get a better understanding of your culture, enhance your knowledge and get answers to all your questions, I too am trying to enhance my knowledge through books as you know we must practice what we preach. Well, hope this helps you on your spiritual journey and don't forget "God is within you, all you need to do is look"...Will see you all again soon..

XOXO, Bookaholic Sam