D o you worship and pray to God? Do you visit temples and perform the rituals? If yes, you are surely a theist. And so am I — a staunch believer in the omnipresence of God. But how does one go about getting close to him?

One of the most effective methods is praying: Putting forth the long list of demands that spring up the moment you set your foot inside a temple (ring a bell?). Your yearning for a bit of good luck and a thousand blessings.

Most of the people who believe in idol worship have this unflinching faith in His omnipotent powers — plead and thy wish shall be granted! None among us, I assume, gives a second’s thought about the sincerity of his thoughts when bowing ever so humbly before the Almighty; count his blessings for the things God’s already done, and not beg for something h/she wants.

Until now, I too was one of the bunch who want God to grant them a thousand privileges but never express gratitude for what they already have. But thanks to my elders, my eyes have now opened. These days, I no longer pray only to have my selfish wishes fulfilled; but also am thankful for the riches He has bestowed on me.

There is a saying: “Don’t cry for what has happened, smile because it has finished.” So no matter what befalls us, we should never let go of our faith. Testing times might only be the test of our faith. During these times, we should be able to believe that everything He does, He does for the best, for a particular purpose. And there can be no belief without faith.

How much you end up getting depends on your faith and resolve. I firmly believe in the adage: “Do your best and leave the rest”. To the one who always stands by you no matter how good or bad your plight.

We must be grateful to Him for giving us this beautiful world. For the rich setting in which we can experience and understand the value of life: The wonderful nature that occupies the centre of God’s creation.

As the great Greek Philosopher Empedocles said: “God is a circle whose centre is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere.” Our aim in life should be to get close to the centre, not wonder around on the periphery.