The Issue with Faith

Many a time we encounter life situations that appear to be exceedingly challenging. Whether we buckle under pressure or are called upon to have faith. This essentially is courage to sail through the stormy seas. Unfortunately, when things do not go our way, we feel that perhaps we did not have enough faith. This is what religious teachings, societal education, and peer and parental pressures have instilled within us. So as the barometer of adversity measures our faith it may fall or it may rise.

There are times that the measure of our faith reflects who we are. Again a self imposed facade. If we were able to score beyond the difficulty then our faith was being “tested” and we plowed through without question. Then we are elated and proud that our faith got us through and so we may not be as careful or cautious the next time a bigger challenge comes knocking. This can also be our undoing, or our “retest.”

Or perhaps the opposite occurred and we failed, due to a “lack” of enough faith. This then unfolds the entire wardrobe of self clothed doubts. Is there a higher power? What is the meaning of it all? How do I get more faith? Am i at fault for the way things turned out? And so on. The list of questions in an un-still mind are endless. This continues to drag us down and disempower us.

The presence of faith does not mean the absence of doubt. It is the doubt that in fact strengthens our faith. It is in understanding what do we have faith in that matters. We can cultivate faith in ourselves, in our Source, in our Universe, or in love. Faith and doubt are both necessary counterweights in the scales of life. Topple to the side of faith we risk becoming arrogant, cocky, or complacent and may miss the lesson of the opportunity. Surrender to the scale of doubt and we risk becoming depressed, hurtful, careless, and overwhelmed.

The balance of the scales of faith and doubt is Love.
……………….
I love you