(How) Do You Pray?

Prayer was not something I was taught in school, Temple, church or even by my parents. We didn’t pray in my family. (Well, I may have prayed to the porcelain goddess once or twice in high school, but that’s not the kind of prayer I’m talking about here).

I didn’t truly pray for the first time until I was in my 30s, had two children and my own business. The first time it happened, I had been a solo lawyer for 9-12 months and I was struggling and scared. I was the family breadwinner. With two kids under 5 and my husband a stay at home dad without an income to support us, everyone was counting on me.

I knew very little about business, had limited financial resources and a history of lack and limitation mindset. I was constantly working to shift my mindset towards the abundance everyone talked about, but it was a major challenge. The fear-based conditioning was intense and I hadn’t been raised with faith in anything bigger than myself. The world was on my shoulders.

I recall standing in the hallway of my law office and praying “Please God let there be a time when I don’t have to wonder where the next new client will come from. Show me the way. Please, show me the way.”

With hindsight, I now see that was a turning point in my business and in my life.

Suddenly, I wasn’t focusing on what I didn’t have or wanted, but wasn’t getting. I put my attention on what I wanted (a steady stream of new clients) and I asked God to show me the way. I prayed for guidance and vision; not just the outcome.

Before that day, I had an idea that I was missing out on something big and important. I was a seeker. I studied one guru and then the next. Several of the masters – Yogananda, Buddha, Jesus. And many modern time lesser versions. I was certain one of them had the answers.

Turns out, they each did. So did I, only I didn’t know it. Now I do. What I’ve discovered since that day I begged God to show me the way is that all I have to do is ask for help and then stay open and my prayers are answered every time. The answer may not always look like what I expected, but it’s always better than I could have hoped for.

By asking for guidance rather than trying to control the result, I am able to tap into the Universal plan that was created for me and me alone. I am able to hear the still, small voice that is God speaking to me. And, I no longer feel like I have to do it all.

The answer to every single question you’ve ever had, every decision you wonder how to make, every everything that determines your reaction to a set of events, circumstance or situation, all of it lies within you. And you can access those answers right now through prayer. All you have to do is ask; please, show me the way, please! The answers will come.

In this moment, close your eyes, take a deep breath and make a conscious connection with God ….. Source ….. Infinite Energy ….. Love ….the Truth of who you are. Let awareness permeate your body starting from the center of your body and radiating up and out through your fingers, toes and the top of your head. You are the answer.