Of Prayers, Signs, and Waiting

When I was 16, I asked God for a sign. I told Him, “if this certain suitor gave me 2 white roses and a red rose, he’s the one.”

A few months later, on Valentine’s Day, he gave me a bouquet with 3 pink roses. I told myself, he’s the one. Because red + white makes a pink, right? I insisted on that fact.

I actually asked my good friend, Oliver, to give me inspiration with this daily prompt, and he was the one who suggested a topic about signs, waiting, prayers and possibilities. (Thanks, Oli :D) Then I realized, I have a true story I can base it from, too.

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Signs are made to get a ‘go signal’ or an affirmation for things we want to do. It’s like a more complicated version of flipping a coin. Some actually follow them religiously to the point that they ask for multiple signs and each one should be met- like each sign is a dealbreaker. But the thing is, most aren’t. They’ll insist and forcefully connect a deed to a sign, just like how I received pink flowers. When I remember, I actually laugh at my stupid innocent self.

Prayers actually go the same way. A lot of people pray and seek answers, and even at times when an idea is blatantly taken away by some random occurrence, we still hope and grasp on the idea firmly and try to connect it to what’s happening. Like an excuse.

Another good example is horoscopes. When we were still studying, my friends who ride the train to school grab on free daily newspapers that contain funny horoscopes. Something along the lines of “if you’re wearing black today, you will meet the love of your life who’s also in black.” We would jokingly insist that we’re wearing black leather shoes with our white and green uniform.

That’s how people’s nature work. Just like how we only hear what we want to hear, we also just want to give a lousy excuse for things to go our way even if life already slaps us with the ‘truth.’ We hold unto the possibility. We cling to the idea.

I’m not saying it’s bad to go after what we want when the universe says no. But it’s not necessarily a good idea to blame the skies, or God, or the signs where the postman would bring our mail before 9am, but not follow what we set either. If you’re going to make excuses for pushing through an idea than a sign or a prayer opposes, then don’t ask for a sign.

Daily Prompt – Waiting