Arleen Hannich, MA |
Spiritual Facilitator |
 |
The Divine ConnectionA Collection of Articles by Arleen HannichAHannich@bellsouth.net / (919) 460-3028 / www.ArleenHannich.com |
How to Pray (Part I)
I often speak with folks who want to talk about prayer but are hesitant to bring it up. Some of them feel a little sheepish and some feel downright guilty because they feel they don't pray enough or that they don't pray "right."
I may be a Spiritual Facilitator, but I don't think for a minute that I can tell you how to pray "right." At best, I can offer you some questions to explore. Your answers will help you discern if your current mode of prayer is working well for you. Hopefully, your discoveries will help you feel better about your current prayers, or they will set you on the path for an even deeper relationship with the Divine.
Here are some questions you can ask yourself to help you see if you are getting the "biggest bang" for your prayer practice.
To clarify, by "prayer practice," I simply mean:
1) What you do on a regular basis to spend time with and connect with the Divine, or in other words, how you help God know you better and how you allow yourself to get to know God better.
2) Your ongoing prayers over a period of time vs. a single day of prayer, no matter what your prayers "look like."
Does your prayer practice:
-- Keep you interested and engaged?
-- Help you know yourself better? For example, does it cause you to look more closely at yourself? Does it help you become more aware of yourself, including beliefs you hold, judgments you make about yourself or others, and/or your individual perceptions and filters?
-- Help you know God better?
-- Lead you to reveal more and more of yourself to God? To other people?
-- Cause you to treat yourself differently?
-- Make you want a relationship with God more and more?
-- Help you see/feel/sense God's presence in your life or help you make choices in your daily life?
-- Take you into new territory (physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual territory)?
-- Lead you to have more and new questions?
-- Inspire and help you to let God into more areas of your life?
-- Have the effect of leading you to experience a variety of emotions?
-- Overall, at the deepest levels, leave you with a sense of joy, peace, and/or connection?
OK, this isn't a Cosmo quiz, so I can't tell you a percentage of "Yes" answers you need to give "to make the grade." Instead, just look at these questions and your answers as one way to consider how you are relating with God. Are you relating at the level you would like to be? Are you satisfied with your relationship?
If you're not happy with your current level of connection with the Divine, don't despair! Join me next issue. I'll talk about your infinite options when it comes to prayer, give you some suggestions you can implement immediately, and remind you that prayer doesn't have to be hard. It can be just like talking with your best friend!
