Faith Behind the Wheel: Practical Solutions to Hold Firm to Religious Commitments on Long Hauls

With the copious load of work that seems to never end, the last thing anyone actually cares for is faith, am I right?

 I mean, you can barely keep your eyes open, never mind pray or connect to any higher being. Well, in this blog, we will be suggesting a couple of tips to balance both so you can feel whole, in body, soul, and mind.

Disclaimer: This is not to say that these are the only ways to manage the issues discussed here. Think of this as one viewpoint amongst many others to form your understanding. Even if you don’t believe in God, it may be interesting to read up on some of this stuff, and who knows, you might just see a point to doing it yourself!

Prayer

Why Is It Important?

Regardless of what faith you are in, prayer is a unanimous act of devotion to God that transcends religious boundaries. Everyone seeks that enlightenment through closeness to God, and that is a very productive and positive avenue to channel your energy. However, this poses a major issue to maintain when you are left striving for so many hours, and you physically can’t pray, and the moments you do get, you aren’t there in spirit. So what’s the point, am I right?

Well, the first step to reform is by redefining your commitment to God. How important is your connection to God, and what lengths are you willing to give to seek His favor or pleasure? If your resolve to meet God is weak, then so will be your worship. The stronger discipline you have, the easier it gets over time to manage them, regardless of your condition.

What Should I Do?

To do this slowly but surely, start nice and small. Set a target you want to reach. How many prayers do I ideally want to stay consistent on daily? Once you’ve decided on that, pick a time of day (if you don’t have one already) to pray and stay consistent. Regardless of what you are doing, try your best to manage it at that time. Stick to just one prayer in the beginning and slowly phase out to the other prayers. So, start with one and give it a solid month or another time period that lets you adjust to the prayer. This way, you’ll have trained yourself no matter the situation to instinctively always make time for it and consider it a high-priority task. Then repeat this process for all the prayers and give them all decent time frames to set in motion.

Planning

Whether that means planning a stop well in advance so that you can make time for it or not is important. This way, it creates a sense of urgency and structurally allows you to plan for it and make the chances of you doing it more likely. Think well in advance how you will make it happen. Check the route ahead of time and see if it crosses any ‘limits’ etc., so you can plan accordingly. Set alarms and reminders on your phone, or even just jot them down, to help you remember. Set the alarm to about 1 hour before the end time so that you can be on the lookout for a station to stop at well before the end time, as different hauls will have different amounts of stations along the way; some will have many, and some will have fewer.

Missing Prayer or Commitments

If, for whatever reason, you miss a day or prayer, think of what you can learn from today’s slip-up so it doesn’t happen again. The mistake happened for a reason; there’s no use fretting over the past. Standing back on your feet and not letting it get to you is the real challenge. Now, this is not to say you don’t feel regret, because that is natural and shows you care deeply. Rather, it means that you don’t let regret drive you to not pray and lose motivation, keeping all negativity under control. So, don’t get the two things mixed up!

Further Steps

Once you achieve a level where you are at a stage you want to be at, focus more on the concentration of the prayer and how it makes you feel. Focus on how it can make you feel closer to God.

Gratitude and Reflection

Incorrect Mindset

Often practicing gratitude can not only increase connection to God, but also give you some positive perspective on life. We live in a world that increasingly sees the world half-empty. “If only I had this job, or if I had this life, or this car,” etc. The list never ends. We are all chasing what we want. But that’s not the actions of a godly individual.

Correct Mindset

A person of faith trusts God’s plan in both good and bad; no matter the situation, he believes there will always be a brighter ending at the end of the dark tunnel. So instead of counting all the bad in life, count all the good and praise God for it. Now, you might think, “What do I have to praise God for? I’m away from family, my wife and I aren’t as close, I never see the kids, I am basically running on no sleep, and all I do all day is sit and drive my lorry!” Well, it’s true that it may not be the ideal life, but the life God’s chosen for you has wisdom behind it.

Count Your Blessings

If you find a good snack at the station, gratitude; gratitude for your job, gratitude for your life, gratitude for your money, gratitude for the scenery you see every day (albeit I don’t know how much of that you actually get to see).

Look at Those Less Fortunate Than You

The best way to do this is to look at those less fortunate than you in life, not in a literal or derogatory way, but as in people who don’t have what you have. This way, you’ll really be able to convince yourself that you are actually better off. Our minds and selves can sometimes be stubborn and self-loathing as a coping mechanism because it feels good. It doesn’t solve any of your problems, and it never has or will! When you pull your socks up and actively remind yourself to stay optimistic, the days become better and more bearable. That’s where true contentment lies.

…And that wraps up today’s article. Only two things to do, but baby steps first is what counts. You’ll only start experiencing the benefits in the way they were meant to be done. Just like how you need to know the directions from A to B, the same applies on the haul to God.