T - 3: iPray

YY: "alia, i want to ask you"
REd: "mmmm?"
YY: "see aaa, if i pray using the josstick and then later i put the stick in the flower pot, do you mind?"
REd: "no, go ahead"
YY: "i scared you mind maa. that is why i ask you first"

i have never seen her pray before. but yesterday while i was waiting for the perfect time to start my journey to the campus, i saw her praying with the josstick, outside the house. she looked calm and very one with her prayers. such a simple act, and it got me thinking:

why do many people pray only in time of need / trouble / guilt? why don't they make it a daily routine?

disclaimer: i may not be in the position to write this entry as i myself am not an avid performer of said task. but i do what i can each day to ensure that my prayers are said.

i noticed that these days, people pray because they need something. take for example YY, nowadays she is having her end-of-term exam. obviously she is praying because she wants to excel in her exams. she needs to be guided and given strength by the element that she is praying to. some people pray for better jobs, better pay, better life, better everything that is good. but as i said, praying only becomes evident in time of need. that is the time when we remember the One, the Creator. what about other times? how come we remember Him only when we need someathing, but He remembers each and everyone of us 24/7? that don't sound quite fair to me, eh?

and then, when we are in trouble, we pray that the event that has come upon us in dark clouds will be lighten up. we pray that those events will go away as soon as we are done praying. we remember God when our lives are stagnantly on the low side. but how come when we are comfortable and everything seems to fall into place, we forgot to remember Him? worse of all, we forgot to thank Him. don't you think that is rude?

when we are guilt ridden, we tend to turn to Him and pray that we have the ability to straighten out the situation and let all the guilt melt away. or we are guilty that everyone else is diligently praying, we mustn't be left out, therefore we join the crowd. but when there is no crowd, we are oblivious to the word "pray".

ok, so i have heard many times, there are many ways to pray and God hears our thoughts all the time. whatever it is, it's between us as an individual and God. sounds like an excuse for: "i'll pray when i need to, right. not when it is actually a compulsory task". excuses....excuses.....

i wonder how scientologists pray.