Prayer: the road to inner peace

The tranquility of my heart and mind has been disturbed for the past months already. With the things that are happening in our family right now, it is hard for me to achieve inner peace. There is a conflict between my grandmother and my aunt with regards to division of lands. I never expected this to happen, since both of them are close to my heart.

There comes a point where my aunt recorded a certain incident on a police blotter. Even during Christmas and New Year, our house was divided into two families, each with different celebrations. I could not take it. Sometimes I cry alone in my room thinking about our family’s situation. I sometimes go to school late. The family that once held their hands together as they leap through the obstacles is now on a path with more challenges to face, and obstacles to leap over. I bring back what once was.

In school, my inner peace is also disturbed because of the tons of paper works that I need to accomplish, not to mention the lesson plan and instructional materials that I need to prepare before facing a bunch of energetic Senior High School students.

In our parish, my inner peace is also disturbed because I pressure myself to be a perfect organist, a perfect employee of God. It’s frustrating because my perfectionist self cannot attain the perfection that my self wants.

These are the things that block my inner peace. It’s not that big than those people around the world, like the president of the Philippines. But somehow, despite these problems, it makes me cling and hold stronger to God.

My grandmother always tells me: “Always pray, for this is the only weapon a person can get.” The situations that I am experiencing which block my road to inner peace need to be “refreshed.” As what my colleagues would say: “Somebody needs a dose of F5 in his life!”

Prayer can be a method of refreshing

When I was in college, I had been taught of the Examen of Conscience. I have been doing it since the first time it was introduced to me. First, I would close my eyes, and look back into the things that had happened to me for the past hours, for the past days, and for the past weeks of my existence.

In every detail, I try to find God in all those situations that I have experienced. I realized that He is everywhere. Holding me, even carrying me in times of need. Given that, it somehow eases my feeling of inner chaos. It also makes me think of the good things that happen in my life. It seems that there are more happy things that had happened to me than the bad things that I currently experience.

With this kind of exercise, one can be relieved, refreshed, thus making peace spread in each and every one’s hearts.

All of us are experiencing difficult and trying times. We can arrange it in hierarchical order, according to the intensity and magnitude of the problem. We may experience depression because of these problems. Sometimes, our inner peace is put into havoc because of the people around us. However, we should not forget that God is always there to make our hearts and minds peaceful, and free of chaotic situations.

For you to be able to achieve inner peace, you should pray to God. Jesus said in the scriptures “Panuktok kay kamo paga-ablihan.” With that statement from Jesus Christ himself, it is assured that your prayers are heard. All you have to do is have faith because your mind and heart will soon be out of the present predicament that you are experiencing.

The key to inner peace is a life of prayer. Examine your consciousness and your faith to God; so that He may carry you in times of difficulty, and you will surely and successfully achieve inner peace. (Jeffren P. Miguel)