I have always greatly admired those that held strong faith. I wondered how, I wondered why and it greatly inspired my exploration into spirituality.
So, what is faith?
Faith is having complete trust and confidence in someone or something. It’s often thought of in the sense of religion; following the beliefs of a particular doctrine.
This isn’t the only form of faith. To have faith in oneself, others, in nature and in life. You can choose where to place your faith.
Faith means being sure of the things we hope for, even when there is no evidence to prove the beliefs, trusting the knowledge of our soul. It’s holding a strong internal conviction to that unseen.
The quality of Faith can be developed through practice, using a variety of means including;
- Prayer
- Meditation
- Read religious and/or spiritual texts
- Spend time in Nature
- Find a like-minded community
- Develop a ritual practice
- Express gratitude
- Build positive thoughts and attitude
- Share kindness
Another way to develop Faith that is often overlooked, is to choose it. It sounds simple but to choose Faith in each moment takes great strength and persistence. It is easy to choose when all is going well, you feel happy and hopeful but as challenges arise, a dark cloud may hang overhead. These are the most difficult times to believe in a greater power or purpose.
We must choose to surrender to that which we wish to believe, regardless of evidence. Regardless of proof.
Faith is trust in ultimate meaning.
Viktor E Frankl
The benefits
There have been over 1,000 studies on the correlation between faith and health. They’ve shown that there are multiple physical health benefits “including protection from illness, coping with illness, and faster recovery from it.”
These studies have also shown that faith leads to significant mental health benefits including higher happiness and life satisfaction levels. It increases hope and optimism, assists in finding purpose and meaning in life and can help to improve self-esteem. Further benefits include:
- lower rates of depression
- faster recovery from depression
- lower rates of suicide
- less anxiety
- less psychosis
- lower rates of alcohol and drug abuse
Cautions
There are significant benefits to maintaining a strong faith, though I still feel it necessary to bring awareness to the cautions of holding faith.
As the world falls away from the teachings of religion, there are many that would hold judgements against those that choose to believe. Be aware of those that would try to talk you out of your faith, requesting proof and further reason despite the very definition of faith to be without evidence.
It is also possible to use spirituality or religion to bypass matters of your mind and life. By using the teachings of spiritual or religious values, one can use these to dismiss and ignore unresolved emotional issues or psychological wounds. It is important to maintain awareness of responsibilities and personal emotions.
Many a war has been started in the name of religion. People that believe in one thing, also believe that their way is the only way when it seems to me, that at the core of every religion is love, peace and acceptance.
As a final note, one should hold faith in themselves above all else. Trust in yourself and the knowledge of your soul.
Blessed be
Resources:
https://humanjourney.org.uk/articles/health-benefits-of-christian-faith/#:~:text=Evidence%20from%20over%201%2C200%20studies,and%20faster%20recovery%20from%20it
https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/December-2016/The-Mental-Health-Benefits-of-Religion-Spiritual
5 SIMPLE WAYS TO STRENGTHEN YOUR FAITH
Koenig HG et al. Op cit p228
