Prayer comes easier to me at night. Prayer is not always done in a church. I try to pray. Doing it doesn’t make me more or less religious. I do it because I believe. I am a strong believer that there is more than we can ever know.
Religion doesn’t have to mean an hour, or whatever time, of praising God. It is the belief that there is a God. Some may argue that you need to know the scriptures or read or study the Bible – I don’t.We started going to classes as we grew older and eventually stopped going to church. I was brought up by good parents, good role models and supporting family and friends is why I argue that.
Faith is a strong virtue, but only if you are compassionate, and kind, and try to see the good in others. That, to me, is faith. Faith that everyone is as you are.
Understanding your family and friends, sharing kindness, and showing vulnerability- are values of virtue. The definition of virtue is – behavior showing high moral standards.
It boils down to that – behavior. We are human. Everyone makes mistakes. All we need to do is ask for forgiveness and apologize.
I am surely not of “high” moral standards. No one I know is. Judgment day comes to all of us. And I do know this – God forgives all because He is an all-forgiving God. Not having a religious background, I still know that.
I can’t recite much of anything, except the prayers learned in religious education. They are all I need – to learn, to remember, to understand. It is enough for me to work on my own “high” moral standards without having to go somewhere to do it or someone telling me how to do it.
I have a home, a sanctuary, to pray in. Asking for forgiveness, receiving guidance, and feeling safe are things I can have wherever I want. To tell you the truth, I drive and thank God for another day. That’s all I know he wants me to tell him – the simple prayer of thankfulness.
Think about all the things that you worry about, the people you lost, the words you said, the things you’ve done wrong – just ask for, say a prayer and be grateful for another day. Have faith that He will answer when He knows you are ready.
Faith – a strong belief in God – is believing in something that you can’t physically see, hear or touch. You just believe. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t make it untrue. I like knowing that. Knowing that I believe because I just do. Say a prayer tonight, it can just be a simple Thank you.