Everyone who believes in God will
concur with me that one should start the day with a brief prayer of thanks to
God for having waked up to such a lovely day. Think about how
productive and fruitful you want to be with His assistance as you pray. Man cannot
move a twig without God's help and His will, however, if the Almighty's
will is by us, we can move mountains with faith, leave alone twig.
I've prayed regularly ever since I was a young child. I faintly
remember Mummy praying even before I started going to school. She would pray
for us while bending her head to the ground. I don't recall ever going to the
play school, but I do recall my Prep I school days.
I remember from school that a day started with a morning
prayer. Morning prayers were held in the classroom when I was in primary
school. The morning prayer was done in the auditorium later, following
class two. Additionally, we attended morning prayers in the church while in
high school because it was connected to the school by a garden.
The church was unique. It was beautiful, with
some musical instruments and a grand piano. An elevated podium was there, from
where the bishop would send out the morning message through prayers. Every
corner of the church emitted peace and solitude. At the centre of the hall were
neat rows of benches in two columns. The church was very huge and had many
entry and exit points.
The school bell would ring every day at 7:45,
and we students would queue up to go to church. We would enter the church with
order and decorum. Prefects walking back towards us repeatedly prompted us
to lift our feet and walk rather than drag them. We would go and sit on the
benches in orderly rows in silence. The hymnals would be handed out by the
chapel usher. The Bible's verses would be read aloud by a teacher who would
arrive and take a place at the podium. We praised God and sang songs. 15
to 20 minutes would pass during morning prayers before we split off and went to
our schools. Our school day started in this way, and it gradually went by.
Even today, I am very attached to the peace and
harmony of the church. The morning prayers in the church were the best part of
the day. Sometimes our class teacher would leave it to us to conduct the
morning prayers. We read related articles for a better understanding of our
fellow students and wind up the prayer session with hymns and songs for the
exaltation of God.
Reading the scriptures in the church piqued my curiosity.
Even if it was only a few lines, I would make sure I was selected to read
whenever our class teacher called on us to lead the chapel. I've ingrained this
in my reading practices going forward. I occasionally get confidence and morale
boost from reading in front of an audience. I should also add that these early
morning prayers gave me the desire to follow a religious and spiritual path. It
strengthened my faith and gave me a better knowledge of the power of the
Almighty, and I came to believe that if we prayed fervently and honestly,
miracles could happen.
If miracles did occur, I also knew in my early school years
that we would be punished for our wrongdoings. There was also the fear of God.
The guiding values in life that I established during my formative years
included never lying and always acting justly and fairly in all situations. The
sole purpose of this site is to remind people of God. to commit our life to show love
and care to everyone we come across. Most significantly, if we are taught these
straightforward yet profound values and ideas when we are young, they will
stick with us throughout our lives. They will make life a lot simpler and
more comfortable for you. God never promised us that life would be a bed of
flowers, so I'm not suggesting it would be, but He did promise that if we
always maintain a strong faith in Him, the world will be a better place to
live.