Season 2 Episode 7 - Why Are We Afraid to Say We Pray?
This week on the TOUGH LOVE ENERGY podcast, I'm asking the question, why is it that so many of us are reluctant to tell people that we pray? Why do we feel we need to keep to ourselves that our own personal belief is that there is something bigger that just might be guiding us and helping us in life?
Since I was very young, my faith has meant so much to me and is a big part of who I am. Yet the upheaval and damning negative press that religious institutions have quite rightly received in recent years, left me wondering where it was I fit in anymore. I've really struggled with just how to reconcile my need for connection to something bigger than myself with everything that was happening with the Catholic institution.
Yet it's worth reminding ourselves that it's not all that long ago that meditation was considered 'new-age' and 'hippy', yet now it is an accepted and medically proven practice that we can all benefit from. Deepak Chopra addresses this so beautifully, when he says that 'prayer is for asking the questions and meditation is about listening for the answers'.
Being religious and being spiritual are two very different things, and you must remember that you don't need to be religious to pray. When I realised that my faith didn't require an institution and that I could engage my spirituality without that religious practice, I began to feel a lot more liberated.
In this episode I offer an answer to the question "so what is prayer?" To my mind, it is is a conversation you have with whoever, whatever you believe in. The chances are that you already pray quite regularly, you just may not recognise it as prayer. If you are struggling with your own beliefs, don't overthink it. Prayer is just another way of ensuring that you get that little bit of extra help that you need along the way. When we pray, we simply hand over the desired outcome to something bigger than ourselves without feeling that we are burdening anyone.
I truly hope that this episode will resonate with many of you. I'd love to hear your thoughts and what prayer means to you.
Until next time, with much love,
Niamh x