Eat, Pray, Love…Part III—Your 'to do' List as Prayer

Pray

Because not all of us can travel to an ashram in India to reconnect with ourselves and God we must, or should I say we have the opportunity, to reconnect in a more practical way. When we go away to reconnect to ourselves or to God we often associate our physical location with our ability to connect. Even though we have made the reconnection we still have to bring it back home with us eventually. That can be a challenge. It’s not unlike going to a motivational conference and getting all fired up only to return to your normal environment and lose all of your new found motivation.

Being here now, amongst the errands that need to be run, the bills to be paid and the projects to complete all the while being connected to Self and to God is the greatest reward and in my opinion our only way to true awakening. God and peace are not in an ashram nor are they on some distant mountain top, they reside within you now. Even with your way too long “to do” list.

We lose ourselves in our long lists and busy-ness. The good news is we are still there waiting to be found. We live in a very busy world for sure. But what if every act you take can be an act of prayer? It can be and as you set out to do this you will find yourself much more joyful and much less tense.

Your “to-do” list as prayer
By being mindful of everything you do in your day you make your life an active prayer. For instance as you do the dishes, give thanks that you have dishes to eat from and food to eat. Be grateful for the hot water running into your sink, we don’t have to walk a mile to bring clean water back and then heat it. Be grateful for the roof that houses the sink, the pipes, hot water heater. Then consider all of the people who may not have what you have, not so that you feel bad or guilty, but so that you can radiate Light and Love to them. See them transformed, healthy and happy. You can do this with any household chore.
Even while you prepare a meal you can infuse the food with love and light. Mentally imagine the food you are preparing as filled with light and intending that it nourish your family member’s bodies bringing them health and wellbeing.
As you are at your children’s sporting events allow yourself to see the God presence in every child and every parent sitting around you. Perhaps you can reach out and engage someone you normally haven’t in the past. If you see someone that looks stressed or upset you make a difference even you just see them in your mind’s eye as happy and healthy.
As you drive today, mentally (or even out loud) send loving words to every driver on the road. You can wish them Happy Holidays, or wish them peace of mind and abundance. Even though they are not hearing you physically, you are increasing your vibration positively and you are focusing it toward them, which has a positive effect on them energetically. Road rage will be greatly reduced if even a few of us remain centered and come from a place love and support.
Becoming overly busy and overwhelmed in our life occurs because we have allowed ourselves and our own to become the center of the Universe and we forget that there are others “out there” having many of the same experiences we are. Experiences of stress, fear, overwhelm and so on. Our life becomes a living prayer when we shift our focus outside onto those around us with the intent to make even one moment better for them.
Our brain cannot differentiate between the act of giving to others or giving to ourselves…if it’s done in love and not obligation.
A moment on quiet meditatio

Beginning your day with a quiet meditation with the intent to connect with God is the most important thing you can do to begin your day on the right foot. Even if you take five minutes to sit down and contemplate who you are and what your life means. I use a visual that I got from Gary Renard author of “Disappearance of the Universe” .

Begin by relaxing, then imagine yourself standing in front of an alter. As you stand there a beautiful white mist begins to surround you, the mist gets brighter and brighter. You realize that this is the presence of God. Take a moment to relax and be fully present in the presence of God. Breathe in the mist, the unconditional love and the profound peace. Then place your life, your burdens, conce
s, daily projects onto the alter. You are giving them to God. You can say something to the effect of “I give it all to you God and I follow your lead”. Relax and breathe deeply.

This doesn’t have to take very long, a few minutes is all. Then imagine your day as everything unfolds gracefully, joyfully and in perfect order.
The above vision does not imply that God is outside of us but it is a useful vision for surrendering and allowing our Divine Intelligence take the lead.
May your journey of Life as Prayer be one of peace and fulfillment.

Blessings,
Michelle Lee,CH