The God hour
October 2016
By Megha Bajaj
Dedicate one hour to God to find meaning in the other 23, says Megha Bajaj
What do you do with your day? For most people a day will involve some exercise time, a lot of office time, some TV, Whatsapp, Facebook time, a little time with family – and then the daily chores like eating, and bathing. Most of us get so embedded in this routine that life starts becoming a series of days and nights – and we keep going along with it, ceaselessly and often joylessly. And then we wonder where the miraculous possibilities that some talk of are? We wonder where the magic of life that some people experience, lies? Where is that feeling of beyond that very few among us still continue to feel? Did we miss something, somewhere?
Each of us has been given the same 24 hours. And yet the quality of life differs so significantly from person to person, as also how these hours are used. A few months ago I went through a very listless phase in my life. From being vibrant and in love with life – I suddenly became a “ho-hum” person wondering what was going on. As I reached a threshold of ennui, I realised something had to be changed, so I introspected on where I was going wrong.
I used to wake up and immediately touch my phone. It was the first thing I interacted with each morning. Opinions, forwards, ideas – some wonderful, some not so – but the very role of social media is to direct your attention outwards, on what others have to say, on the world outside. I realised I was beginning to get tired before the day ended because of an over use of gadgets, which seeped away my very joie de vivre. That’s when I realised that instead of being an inside out person – I had become a “completely-focused-on-the-external” person with very little or no time dedicated to my spiritual growth.
I realised Life is beautiful for those who somehow manage to make God a part of their daily life. God is just the simplest word I know for that Higher Force, that Unknown, that Nature or Prakruti that makes everything flow the way it is. You can choose to name it what you may, as long as the reference, and more importantly, the essence is retained.
Somehow, through all that I was achieving, all that I was running around to give and receive, I had stopped making God an integral part of my life. It was all about humans, machines and gadgets, and that’s what life had become. Running on a treadmill – and reaching nowhere.
I realised Life is beautiful for those who somehow manage to make God a part of their daily life.
I realised we all need something called the God Hour in our lives. We need a part of our life dedicated towards the inner world. For some it could be through meditation, for others gazing at the moon. For some stillness, others dance. For some prayers, for others gardening. It actually doesn’t matter what you choose to do in the God Hour as long as you have one in place and dedicate it to something that connects you to your deepest self, your beyond.
Spirituality is not a retirement plan. It is a daily plan. It is what sprinkles that little magic to each day. It is what makes a sunrise another day to dwell deeper, feel more and inch towards peace and fulfillment. A simple shift of waking up and dedicating one hour to myself before I touch any gadget has brought back the old me, and is introducing me to a new me each day. The God Hour. The most sacred hour that actually gives meaning to the remaining 23!
 |
About the author : Megha is, above all, a seeker. These days she is attempting to find herself in the role of a teacher through the online writing course designed by her. You can know more about her on www.wonderofwords.org