A leap of Faith.

A freaky incident happened today. I almost met with an accident on my two-wheeler.. I escaped unhurt with no harm done to anyone . The blame partly rests upon me as well that group of pedestrians who were so clumsy in crossing the road that not only endangered my life but also their own precious lives.

Okay, I don't need to get into a blame-game about what really happened on the road. Sure, it shook me so much that I've decided to be more careful in future. You might ask, where does a leap of faith come into the picture? I'll explain..

I've always assumed myself to be a non-believer of sorts even though I visit temples and go on pilgrimages. I believe in the existence of an Almighty presence which lords us all, manipulates our lives and lends a certain value, a meaning to all our lives. My family is one that can be described as extremely pious , almost too much for my own liking. I've always frowned upon many seemingly meaningless customs, ceremonies, pujas and the like. I've been harsh on superstitions, I've ridiculed others' rituals. Even though I pray to God daily,( mainly for favours , and that's too many! ) I've never bothered to thank Him for all the wishes granted. Although I used to pray, there was a feeling lurking deep inside my mind that all this will amount to nothing as the whole act of communion with God was a concept contrary to my beliefs , a concept that was too alien for my perceived self-characterization. In short, I was more or less an atheist at heart and a believer in the exterior.I guess all of these misconceptions on my part occurred due to my lack of belief in religion.


Today morning I was thinking about the fact that I've not had a single fall from my two-wheeler ever since I started riding it while all people I've known have had quite a few to their names.
I was proud of my clean record and prided myself on my extremely safe and confident riding.I've had a few close shaves but still I managed well each time. Come evening, my pride was to go before a fall. I didn't fall and still my record is intact. I'm not proud of it anymore. It opened my eyes towards a bigger truth. The One above's blessings have helped me a lot during my crises although I never realized them then; I always used to ascribe my escapes to my flirtations with lady luck. I felt His hand in the manner in which i escaped from a sure accident today, it was almost miraculous! I've needed divine help in the past and I'll need it in the future also.

From this moment onwards, I promise to change my previously held ridiculous views about religion. I'd been a vehement critic of religion in the past; but now, I realize my mistake. Religion is all about believing in a faith. It's not a tool to bring about a division among people depending upon their faith. Rather, it's for spreading love, peace and brotherhood, it's for creating a peaceful co-existence of people having different ideals in life. There are numerous religions , a thousand gods and goddesses, but there's only channel to worship- belief. Belonging to a particular religion doesn't warrant that one has to disbelieve in all other religions. It's a fatal mistake and it's the sole cause behind most of the unrest happening all over the world. The day we correct our mistake, the world will be a much better place for us to live.

I've started believing in religion. I'll start praying honestly to God. I have faith in Him.
I've made a leap of faith.
I hope that'll make all the difference in an uncertain future.