Tag Archives: Amma

How to Avoid Wasting Time When You Pray

You know life is too short. Too busy. Too distracting.

You know you want to pray, because you feel the need.

But–please forgive our blunt honesty here:

You want to avoid wasting time by praying without getting results.


Here’s the absolute personal metaphysical truth:

You can’t effectively pray if you can’t or wont really thank the Sacred Source you’re praying to. Otherwise, why bother to pray? Go ahead & just thank yourself instead.

Pretend you’re the Only Total Almighty Source of All Good.

Then pray.

See what satisfaction that gets you.

Let’s face it–we’ve all tried THAT experiment before. Maybe not consciously, but on our lives’ inner roller coaster rides from Extreme Self Loathing to Extreme Self Adulation, and back again. Plus on every section of rickety track in between.

Everyone has tried self worship in all its disguises.

The result:

You know. We all know. It’s a near-total waste of our time.

Except that as we learn more about our limitations–about what we’re NOT–we can gain more respect for what IS beyond us.

That respect–if we’re at all grateful for our existences–can be called “worship”.

We can totally understand historical reasons why many people “batten their spiritual hatches” at the word “worship”.

But the whole point of praying is to unlatch & release our personal spiritual blocks.

So if you have any, why not drop your pointless, worn-out, boring-to-yourself objections to real worship?

After all, when you admit your love for your Sacred Source, you admit your real desire is:

To rise to the surface.

To open that stifling submarine hatch door.
To breathe in the waves of fresh ocean air.
To feel the pure soul of the sun on your skin.

To stop wasting precious time.

Because this brief life of yours belongs to you–not to your old objections against fuller living.

…Many saints old and new encourage us “to worship God with hearts overflowing”. But how can we, in this cynical, pretentious, ignorant, self-denying age?

You can feel we’re talking with total honesty here:

If in your worship you can’t be overflowing with joy, you can be overflowing with penitence.

If you can’t be overflowing with courage, you can be overflowing with fears, put to the grist mill, to power your prayers.

If you can’t be overflowing with wisdom, you can be overflowing with acknowledgment and acceptance of the pains of your ignorance.

Anyways, should you choose even the slightest, tiniest reason to worship God, however meekly or weakly, you will find your inner resources full to the brim for use.

Should you simply choose to do it–for whatever reason.

The results of your more grateful prayers will refresh your life very effectively over time.

The gifts of time can be: your happier, deeper, more powerful life.

Peace and happiness to you,
Rev. Scott Ufford

Copyright 2011

Heart Wisdom from Teachers of Amma, the Indian “Hugging Saint”


by Rev. Scott Ufford

An Introduction:

Many of us in the West haven’t heard of her. But Sri Mata Amritanandamayi, beloved by over a billion spiritual seekers as Amma, the Hugging Saint, might be one of the most brilliant women to walk the Earth.

I say “brilliant” meaning that in every sense of the words “spiritual”, “intellectual”, “ethical” and “humanitarian”, Amma grasps the needs of her fellow humans. She reacts with decisive kindness.

Are you surprised that the objective of her multifaceted brilliance could be a soft-hearted quality like “kindness”?

Please understand, Amma has inspired legions of volunteers to help bring practical charitable assistance to millions of people worldwide. For people caught in an array of troubles we might justly call “monumental” or “catastrophic”.

Amma has shared her loving wisdom in speeches at the United Nations and the Parliament of the World’s Religions. She champions The International Day of Peace, also known as World Peace Day (November 17th each year). She’s received The Gandhi-King Award for Nonviolence and numerous other honors.

Anyone else in her position of international acclaim, however much deserved–and for her it appears fully deserved–could be expected to glory a little in her accomplishments. To indulge her ego once in awhile. To cast a blind eye on her own faults.

Or, even to slow down on the exhausting job of caring for the endless streams of needy–or wounded–or curious–or faithful–that awash her at every public appearance.

But the truth is, that’s not what Amma’s all about.

Amma has given her heart, soul and life to the most simple task of healing, through hugging, every single person who asks.

Whether for solace, for guidance or for a blessing. Whether yearning for a lost mother’s kiss never given or for a flash of love seemingly poured out from an unlimited Open Loving Heart, they come to Amma.

Crowds of those humblest. Those weakest. Those youngest. Those poorest.

Those close to death. Those broken of spirit. Those broken by material cares or worries. Those tormented by what they could have done, could have been–or by what they have done.

Those yearning to feel the touch of true caring without judgment or rejection.

Those desiring to feel precious moments in the arms of a spiritually awakened master.

…We all have our private stories to cleanse and purge and understand, and overcome and embrace and release–so we can start to live again, better than before.

We all have our secret sacred little ways to find answers, to reach out for help, to gain the strength to help others. Ways to jump-start our untrusting, hoping hearts.

Over seven million seekers, 7,000,000 people just like you and me–or, people completely different on the outside yet strikingly like us on the inside, in their hidden soul needs, fears, tests and aspirations–have found their way to Amma’s motherly embrace.

This alone seems like an unbelievable miracle:

Never has a single one of those seven million-plus souls–no matter how lost, how destitute, how self-destructive or self-inflated or ignorant–never has a single one, from the lowest to the highest, ever seen Amma shake her head “no.” Or been rejected by Amma out of stress, dislike, fatigue…

She welcomes everyone. With a simplicity and mastery of the heart’s unspoken needs.

I, too, gladly received a hug and blessing–called “darshan”, in Hindu–from Amma. Beforehand, she didn’t ask about my religion. Or ask me to “follow” her, or worship her, or pay her. Or in any way, do anything except feel her Divinely inspired love pouring down.

She made me feel as if I, too, was a natural part of that love and could receive and give a bit of that love.

Her hug felt like a lightning-bolt.

But she hadn’t asked me to come to her. I just felt naturally drawn.

As Amma says, “Take one step towards God, and God takes one hundred steps towards you.”

Isn’t that what we really hope is true?

I know you’ll enjoy Amma’s soul-filled website at http://amritapuri.org. Here, Amma’s profoundly moving life story is revealed. She shares sweet spiritual insights as if crystalline waters freely drawn from the purest well.

In the New Year ahead, to maybe help you find your own unique steps, I’ll share valuable, never-before-heard excerpts of talks channeled from “Teachers of Amma”.

Please note:
I’m a messenger, not the source. I don’t claim here or in any writings, private counselings or church services, to have any special spiritual heights or virtues. Instead, I’ve been gifted with sometimes hearing, and sharing, wisdom from spiritual titans and teachers whose consciousness dwells a thousand fathoms over my head.

Let’s close with these honest, direct words of Amma:
“Children, sing from the depths of your hearts.
Let the heart melt in prayer.
Leave aside all shyness and open your hearts to God.”

Thank you for listening to your own heart’s new birth.
It’s happening.

Rev. Scott Ufford Copyright 2010