When my cell group leader asked me about my prayers for the coming week, I responded almost without thinking, “I pray that I’ll survive all of the problems that I’m going to face.”
At the time, it seemed like a reasonable answer. After all, we all face challenges, and survival often feels like the bare minimum requirement to move forward. But the more I thought about it, the more unsettled I became.
Why should I merely survive? When did my life become about getting through the day, about enduring rather than enjoying?
There was a time when I dreamed of more — of thriving, of finding joy in the little things, of feeling the rush of excitement and the warmth of contentment. But lately, it feels like I’m caught in a relentless cycle of problems and solutions.
Life seems to have turned into a series of challenges to overcome rather than a journey to be cherished.
I don’t want to wake up each morning with a heavy heart, expecting the next problem to solve. I want to wake up with a sense of wonder, curious about what the day might bring.
I want to feel the sunlight on my face and appreciate its warmth, not just as a brief break from the cold, but as a reminder of the world’s beauty.
Living should be about more than mere survival. It should be about connection, passion, and purpose. It should be about discovering what makes my heart beat faster and what brings a smile to my face.
I don’t want to just navigate through my problems; I want to find meaning and growth within them.
I don’t want my life to be a constant cycle of stumbling and getting back up, of failing and trying again. I don’t want to always be in survival mode.
I want to laugh more, love deeper, and live fully.
Yes, challenges will come — they always do. But I don’t want my prayers to be about just surviving them. I want to pray for the strength to face them head-on, for the wisdom to learn from them, and for the grace to find joy in the midst of them.
I want to remind myself that life is not a battle to be won but a journey to be savored.
So, the next time I will be asked about my prayers, I’ll say this, “I pray for the courage to live, truly live, and not just survive. I pray for moments of peace amid the chaos, for glimpses of beauty in the everyday, and for the ability to see every day as a gift, not a test. Because deep down, I don’t want to just get through life. I want to embrace it, experience it, and cherish it. I want to live.”
