I’m not a perfect Christian, let alone Catholic. I don’t go to church every Sunday. I haven’t gone to confession since my freshman year of high school. I don’t know any of the lyrics to the songs in Mass and I certainly couldn’t tell you the name of the Pope off the top of my head. I’m a believer, but you wouldn’t know that from any outward actions I’ve made. My faith and love for the Lord comes to life in one place, and one place only since I’ve grown older, and that place is prayer.

When I was a little girl, my dad always explained to me that prayer was important. His parents believed in its power firmly, so he felt I should do the same. Growing up, he taught me to say, “thank you for today and please help me be a better girl tomorrow,” and that would be my prayer for the night. When I entered Catholic high school, things changed. I learned more ways to pray, and I discovered the reason behind why I was saying these things over and over to begin with.

Prayer indisputably gives me purpose. It reminds me of all the blessings I’ve encountered throughout my day and throughout my life. It also reminds me of all the things I want to work on within myself and my community. I thank God for my family, my friends, my dog, my health and anything else that comes to mind because these blessings can come or go when I least expect it.

Prayer can also come in handy when I’m struggling with things in life socially. I don’t always have the best judgment and I’m far from perfect, so when somebody crosses me or hurts me, I will pray for them. Rather than getting back at somebody or saying something spiteful, I leave everything up to Him. Using words as weapons is a dangerous game and I’ve learned that it’s better to sit back, let God take care of business and continue praying for those who make me feel crappy. When it comes down to it, if they’re making me miserable, then they need God more than I do.

I know I don’t deserve anything from God because He has already given me so much, but taking five to ten minutes every night to listen to me ramble about my life is extremely cool of Him. This isn’t to say I don’t get angry with Him, because I do. Life sometimes just doesn’t make sense to me and it gets really hard when I’m more than ready for it to get easier. When this happens, I pray. I remember He doesn’t give me anything I can’t handle and will see me out of the darkness I find myself trapped in… no matter how impossible it may seem to do at the time.

The purpose that prayer has given me cannot be matched by anything else in my life thus far. Its power is immeasurable, comforting and will never cease to amaze me. Every night when I pray, I am overwhelmed by all the blessings I have experienced and thank Him for keeping me grounded and safe. If I didn’t pray, I would live my life a lot less happily and confidently. It feels good to be able to give back in such a uniquely sacred way and I will never go a day without it.