BE SURE YOU’RE NOT WAITING FOR GOD TO ANSWER PRAYERS THAT HAVE ALREADY ANSWERED
Growing up on the west side of Harlem in New York City exposed me to a considerable amount of complaints about everyday life. Most of these complaints were followed by sincere prayers and many thank you’s to Jesus for helping the families living there to survive the struggle.
At the time, I couldn’t understand the real reasons behind the frustration and worry that seemed to plague the adults in my neighborhood. I would eaves drop on their conversations that flowed so naturally about negativity. I would soon find out for myself how challenging life could be, especially for families living below poverty levels in inner city ghetto life. By age 25 I was humming that familiar tune, I adapted the habit of complaining about my unsatisfying life. I was certain everyone except for myself was responsible for my misery, failure, and inability to create a life or relationship that made me happy.
I picked my boyfriends from crowded street corners and later demanded they live up to the prince charming who dwelled within my imagination. I accepted jobs that could barely pay me enough to live comfortably or support my desire to be financially independent. With my heart and mind, I accepted a narrative that encouraged me to believe that my environment had more control over my life than I could ever have.
I had absolutely no sense of self, not one bit. I was street-smart but not aware of my own potential (and personal responsibility) to shape the life I so desperately claimed to want.
It still is quite common for adults to model two very different philosophies to life’s newcomers, like myself at the time.
The messages go something like this….
“You can have anything you want in life. Anything you work for is possible. Anything you pray for will be granted, if it’s in God’s will, so continue to have faith.”
And the conflicting messages imply….
“It doesn’t matter what you do, the rich keep getting richer while the poor stay poorer.” “The system is designed to work against you.” and so on…
These kind of negative messages are common and influence the way we think and feel. They gain traction in the thought process, affect perception, and reinforce crippling social habits. In this mindset we give up on goals that appear to be unrealistic, or find ourselves constantly praying for things that are already here and available to us.
Make no mistake about it, I know that life offers challenges and hurdles, and sometimes disproportionately more for others. But those challenges have no bearing on how far we can go with persistence. Some of us will experience more obstacles than others, but even so, we do not have to become passive prisoners of external circumstances. Hard times help make us wiser, resilient, and more efficient in life, but they do not define us.
It’s natural to feel frustration when things don’t work out the way we imagine. However, we must know everything we’re praying for is already here despite the difficulty we face at any given moment. We should continue working toward our goals and never quit.
Whether you are praying for a better relationship, a new career, or enough money to buy the home of your dreams, it’s far more inspiring to accept that all of these things are already here waiting for you to claim them. You have the power to navigate through life and create the things you want to enjoy it. The things you want are already here; put in the required effort to bring them into your fold by allowing the process to run its course.
There are those of us who go into the world and create wonderful lives regardless of humble beginnings. People from all walks of life to show us that incredible things are possible when we decide to apply ourselves to our goals. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you grew up, you can ready yourself for anything you want to achieve. The most important thing standing in the way of you and your dreams at any given time is your mindset. If you believe that something outside of you is the decider of how well you do in life, it will be difficult to attract the things you desire.
No one else is more capable of creating a life filled with the things you want for you better than you. Your prayers have already been answered.
The universe creates us all as individual co-creators in the image of God. There are more than enough distractions to wedge an unhealthy distance between you and your natural potential to overcome obstacles and secure goal after goal. That is why it is so important to really know who you are and to become connected to source power as a way of life. People will tell you all sorts of things are responsible for your inability to attract and create the situations or things you want in your life. It’s completely understandable how defeatist belief systems are born, (Insert link) but when you become fully aware of how powerful and capable you are of attracting anything you want, you begin to develop confidence and purpose. You accept full responsibility for your life and realize that, at some point, you are the creator of what happens from this moment forward, even if you didn’t know it. You begin to allow good things to happen.
A huge part of changing your life and starting the process of attracting all that you want is forgiving yourself for anything in the present and being grateful that you have the power to change. One of the mysterious and wonderful things about life’s journey is our natural tendency to learn about ourselves as individuals as an important part of a larger community and realize the circumstances of our lives are ours to change if we transform how we think.
So what should you be praying for?
Every situation is unique and poses unanswered questions that can shake your faith, wear you down, and reduce your trust in your ability to make the changes you want and need. Many times you won’t know what steps to take, and you decide to take none at all. This is why it’s crucial to ask the universe for help in identifying and strengthening important characteristics of mind such as patience, persistence, courage, and intuition. You must learn to enjoy and trust the process.
In your heart and mind you already know there are no shortages of blessings, whether in the form of a new love partner, a higher paying salary, or a healthier body; these are all attainable. Many people are missing the
persistence, faith, and inner-strength it takes to keep building and not quit until they accomplish what they set out to do.
Draw strength and comfort from our kind universe that is always wanting to help you on this journey. The same universe provides the sun each day to warm and illuminate your path and also supplies you with unlimited vitamin D for your bones, teeth, and immune system. Trust this process for everything else that you seek in life. Trust can offer mental relief and a stronger connection when you reflect on your relationship with the universe in this way. Remind yourself how perfect the relationship already is between you and your world will hopefully restore your belief in yourself and your ability to attract the life you want. The same universal perfection will open up pathways necessary for you to achieve your goals.
As long as you are taking faith-filled steps toward your goals, the universe will send you more answers. It will put the right people in your path. It will lead you to situations you never imagined possible, and it will continue acting as the main supporter of your dreams. Don’t deny or resist it. Allow your heart to be content and trust the powers that be so you can learn to enjoy a wonderful destiny.