Helena was in a difficult phase of her life, struggling as a single mother to manage her finances while raising her two teenage children, who required a significant amount of money for daily expenses. The stress of making ends meet, coupled with the weight of being the sole provider, often left her feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. Despite her best efforts, it seemed like nothing was enough to pull her out of the financial turmoil she faced. In these moments of despair, she felt the loneliness that often accompanies such challenges, and the burden of her responsibilities felt like a mountain too steep to climb.

It was during this period of her life that Helena reached out to her spiritual father, seeking not just comfort but a way forward. She needed more than just a temporary reprieve; she needed a sustainable way to manage her challenges. Her spiritual father, recognizing her pain and desperation, introduced her to a concept that would change her perspective and, ultimately, her life: the true nature of prayer.

Helena had always associated prayer with asking for help, solutions to immediate problems, or the strength to carry on. But her spiritual father challenged her to see prayer in a different light. He drew her attention to the story of Christ’s temptations in the desert, where Jesus was tempted to ask for unearned favors, miraculous rescues, and power. These, her spiritual father explained, are not the true purpose of prayer.

In her struggle, Helena had often prayed for quick fixes—asking for financial miracles or for her burdens to be lifted without truly understanding what she was asking for. Her spiritual father encouraged her to move beyond these requests and to approach prayer with humility and introspection. Instead of asking for favors, he guided her to seek clarity and understanding, to pray for the strength to find her own way through the challenges, and to ask for the wisdom to make the right decisions.

This shift in perspective was not easy for Helena. She was so used to praying out of desperation that it took time to embrace this new approach fully. But as she persisted, she began to notice subtle changes. Her prayers, no longer centered around pleading for immediate relief, became a source of inner strength. She found herself more composed, more at peace, even when the external circumstances hadn’t yet changed. By seeking guidance rather than favors, she started to see paths forward that she hadn’t considered before.

Helena’s spiritual father also taught her that true prayer was closely linked with thought. He explained that when we think deeply, with a clear and sincere heart, it is a form of secularized prayer. In these moments of reflection, we open ourselves to revelation, acknowledging our limitations and inviting wisdom to enter. This understanding helped Helena to approach her problems differently. Rather than being paralyzed by fear or overwhelmed by the magnitude of her challenges, she began to see her thoughts and prayers as tools to guide her through the maze of life’s difficulties.

One of the most important lessons Helena learned was to examine the motivations behind her prayers and thoughts. Her spiritual father emphasized that if our prayers are driven by pride or selfish desires, the revelations we receive may be misguided. True prayer, he insisted, is about aiming upwards with humility, seeking to align oneself with a higher purpose rather than trying to bend the divine will to our own ends.

As Helena embraced this new way of praying and thinking, she noticed a significant shift not just in her outlook but also in her circumstances. Her financial situation began to stabilize—not because of miraculous interventions, but because she found the clarity and strength to make better decisions, to seek help when needed, and to manage her resources more wisely. She also found a new sense of peace, knowing that she was not alone in her journey, but rather guided by a higher power that she could trust to show her the way.

Helena’s story is a testament to the power of true prayer and the strength that can be found in humility and sincerity. Her spiritual father’s teachings reminded her that prayer is not about asking for power, unearned favors, or rescue from our own mistakes. It is about seeking the wisdom to understand our path and the courage to walk it with grace, no matter how difficult it may be. Through this understanding, Helena not only improved her financial situation but also found a deeper sense of purpose and fulfillment in her life.

In today’s world, where quick fixes and immediate gratification often take precedence, Helena’s journey offers a powerful reminder of the importance of introspection, humility, and sincere prayer. By aligning our intentions with higher principles and seeking true understanding, we can find the strength to overcome even the most daunting challenges, just as Helena did. Despite having two teenage children who required a lot of money for daily expenses, Helena managed it all through the clarity and strength she gained from her spiritual practice, becoming a role model for her children in the process.