What God means to me: He is in the bond we share with others

My family is my ‘God’. The belief being; I have been raised in a family where my father is a Muslim, married to a Punjabi for the last 38 years. My sister-in-law is a Catholic born in Rajasthan and is deeply in loved with my elder brother, whom she met during her higher studies in Pune. The two are married and have been together for the last 10 years. And my wife, born in Gujarat, speaks flawless Gujarati. As a family we all live peacefully under one roof, which we call ‘Heaven’.

With multiple faiths and diverse cultural norms and dialects followed and spoken in our family, it connotes only one thing for me — any language of peace and love if spoken and followed, ‘God’ will comprehend and embrace our prayers more willingly and with a big dimpled smile on His face.

Maybe the diversity in the family is what God is all about. No particular single physical form, colour, language or prayers can define the ultimate presence of the Almighty in our life. The angels which come to us individually through the Almighty God are our friends, teachers, mentors, doctors, neighbours and even pets, who give us unconditional love and guide us in our journey of this fantastic gift called life. Prayers and donations at religious places are not the only way to attain the aura of the Almighty, but also through acts of donation to the needy, through efforts to help someone rise on their feet and towards upliftment of individuals. Not to forget, God’s love manifest in environment cleanliness and protection too.

Hypocrisy, hyper-materialism, intolerance towards others’ beliefs and castes and physical abuse is what I call evil/demonic belief and a hazardous approach to life. I see music, art, sport, creativity and drama as a form of expression of the Almighty as well as a special gift bestowed upon an individual. Every new day reinforces the bountiful gifts God has granted upon me to cherish, enjoy and work towards living life to its fullest. Maybe another gift from the Almighty is on its way to continue the legacy of the bountiful and unconditional bonding with its creator. ‘God’ is love, peace, unity, diversity, balance, sharing and to have the wisdom to distance oneself from hypocrisy, intolerance and physical abuse.

God has kept it up to us to bless ourselves with His love, only if we embrace it in the right way and express our gratitude for his plan.

(The writer, Suheil Merchant, is a social media enthusiast, loves dogs and is an amateur leisure cyclist. If you want to share your connect, affection with God, send it to dnafaithpage@gm ail.com)