11 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples
said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:
“‘Father,[a]
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.[b]
3 
Give us each day our daily bread.
4 
Forgive us our sins,
    for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.[c]
And lead us not into temptation.[d]’”

So . . ., I looked into the Internet. . .Why do I believe? by Pebbles. . .Nope. . . The Cutting Edge .
. .nope. . .These were stories about love. . .My story is about a love so deep that I wished I
could make a movie about it.  Twilight Saga, an all time favorite was a love that is supposed to
last forever between a vampire and a special girl.  But my story about love was different.  These
songs and movies could not come close to why I believe.  So, I quit looking into the Internet and
with no research, I wrote from my heart.

The first time I believe. . .in Him, draws from the 4th verse above – forgive us our sins, for we
also forgive everyone who sins against us.  Jesus taught us how to pray and one night I prayed
for no one because I was angry with my husband.  I would pray for others and at other times but
I did not pray for my husband that night.  Then after long hours staying awake, He forgave my
husband . . . and I was overwhelmed with His grace.  His grace of forgiveness descended like a
dove coming down from heaven bringing peace and joy simultaneously.  Then, I finally rested at
2 a.m.  Jesus took no glory but resided with me with humility, that I did not profess to the world. 
Being human, I did tell some people how I came to believe.  This came to pass.

Why do I believe?  Gratitude.  Eve, the first woman, sinned against God.  Then God made her
female descendants who became mothers who are loved by their children to the moon and
back.  Is this an inkling of love from God?  She sinned and yet he breathed love into her life.  I
am not here to answer if God has forgiven Eve, but I am here to testify that God gave me my
mother who loves me as long as she lives (and inevitably, even after life, I truly believe).  I have
a mental disorder which showed its full ugly self when I turned 22 years old.  I blamed my
mother more than a few times.  She showed no reproach over the years, just patience and
love.  Why do I believe?  I am so grateful God gave me my mother.
She always said to me, “Count your blessings.”  What is a blessing was my question the first
time I heard this phrase.  Then, I learned.  My blessing is my daughter.  My blessing is my
husband.  My blessings are my siblings.  My blessings are my parents.
My mother had managed to spread her love and patience to everyone. This I learnt from her
and I was able to spread it to others – other members of the family and friends.  God created
Eve, the first woman, to shine as a temple of His love up to this day.  That is why I believe.

Why do I believe?  Faith.  Think about it, reader.  Believers, in dire times, commonly seek prayer
chains.  Some believers take themselves a step further and live their lives totally in the hands of
God.  My favorite picture in my mind of Faith is of a homeless old man on his knees thanking
God for his life.  He had very little materially, but he was filled with Faith in God.  I, too, have
Faith.

Why do I believe?  Beauty.  Only God can create beauty in nature.  I will try to describe it in
words.  The morning.  The sun is barely rising but I can see the light blueness in the sky.  It is
early winter morning and as I stand on the porch, I stretch to smell the crisp cold air.  I inhale the
air and exhale warm misty air which formed my own little cloud of water vapor into my hands. 
The parrots are chirping out of sync but nevertheless happy for another beautiful morning.  They
stand in the branches preening each other, taught perhaps by instinct.  It’s breakfast time at the
old-fashioned wooden table and chairs in the yard patiently waiting for the family.  Later, there is
time to explore in the forest for old giant redwood trees and other forest inhabitants.  I mostly
see the deers, sometimes some other animals would wander – great and small.  God knows this
is beauty.  The sun is up.  And, I believe.

Why do I believe?   Promise.  There are 225 occurrences of the word promise in the NIV Bible. 
God is known to keep his promises.  And we know this is true because (I am relaying the
message), God cannot lie.  
And this is what he promised us—eternal life. 1 John 2:25

Then, I began to write. . .