My Family’s Daily Ritual That Shaped Us

Every family has their daily rituals, and mine isn’t left out, from eating together to praying together, and that eventually shapes who we are today. I am always proud of my siblings because we have kept the ritual going, and we never dwindled away from it. They say a family that prays together stays together, and yes, that has proven to be effective.

I was discussing with my sister recently how we’ve come this far, still in line with one thing we learnt from our parents. Because it was something they instilled in us, we found it useful today, something we are used to already and can never be taken away. It’s what keeps us going despite all the troubles around us.

I mentioned to her that even though our parents were Christians by religion, they were very strict with morning devotion and insisted on our going to church every Sunday and even during weekdays. There was no day we weren’t woken up for devotion, and we dared not sleep at that moment.

For me I frowned at morning devotion then, to the extent that I would pray my parents did not remember, but eventually, they always did, because it was something like oxygen that kept them living. So why would they forget such a thing on a daily basis? I hated morning devotion and prayers.

You would hardly see me praying for myself or my family, and when I think back, it makes me wonder how I could live my life so freely and at risk without prayer, especially in a world where anything is bound to happen at any time without expectation. But here we are today, glory to God.

As I grew up, morning devotion became a part of me. There is no day I don’t observe it, and I am grateful for my parents, who, with force and discipline, instilled such a habit into us. They never left us alone just because we weren’t interested.

So whether we liked it or not, we would observe it, except you wanted to starve yourself for that day. And trust me, I love food so much that I could do anything, even when it’s inconvenient, just to eat, and one of such things was prayer.

The easiest way to sleep, even when you find it hard to, is through praying or reading the Bible. It was such a sleeping pill that you didn’t need any drug - that alone would take you away into dreamland. Little did we know that life is a battle that we must not joke with prayers.

This daily ritual that I struggled to adapt to is one I now find pleasure in every day. It has become a habit that I cannot do without. If I don’t observe morning devotion and go about my day, I feel restless until I return to it. Morning devotion and prayers are my oxygen that keep me alive and going; without them, I become lifeless for the day.

My family gave me a treasure I will always cherish for life, and nothing will ever take it from me. It’s such a privilege to come from a home that practised it, even my late grandmother was never tired of it. She would always wake us up once it’s 6 a.m. with her morning bell rung around the house. Except that someone is dead, no one could miss hearing the bell alarm.

And if anyone dares not wake up and come to the sitting room for family prayer, you are done for that day 😆. You will hear the story of your life you’ve never heard before!

But the truth is, we enjoyed it more as we grew up, knowing that life isn’t something to take with levity. Life is spiritual, and we must be on guard not to be wasted by the devil.

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