Have Faith!

 

     When you look up the definition of the word 'faith', you see 2 very distinct definitions. The first, which reads: "Complete trust, or confidence, in someone, or something". The second reads: "Strong belief in God, or in the doctrines of a religion, based upon spiritual apprehension rather than proof". Considering the fact that there are currently at least 4,000 different religions, that are recognized, worldwide, we're going to concentrate on the first, less religious definition. It is not my place, nor is it anyone else's, to determine which religious belief system anyone else follows - or, none at all, as is the case with those who are Atheists. We've all been told to 'have faith' in something, or someone, at some point (or many) in our lifetimes, but how often do we fully comprehend what, exactly, that entails?

     To bring this to an even more personal level, what does it truly mean to have faith in yourself? It is no easy task to have faith in yourself, especially given some of the life circumstances may people are in, at the moment. So, how does someone have faith in themselves, even in the worst of situations? For the record, it does not always boil down to 'this too shall pass, even if it does pass like a kidney stone'. 

     It means that, no matter what, you keep moving ahead. The past is just that, passed. You cannot undo, redo or alter your past in any manner. Furthermore, there is no point in keeping your eyes on the past, because you are not moving in that direction. You are moving forward, even if you don't realize it. Think about what your life was like last year. Are you in the same spot, living the exact same life, with the same people, and the same pets, and the same job? Has anything at all changed over the course of the past year that has, even in some minute instance, changed your life? I'll bet you that if you think about this long enough, the answer will be 'yes'. 

     Try to remember everything you have lived through over the past 365 days. You are 1 year older. Your pet is 1 year older. Your child(ren) is 1 year older. That alone is a move forward. You may have been ill with a cold, a flu or covid. That passed, and is no longer part of your life. Your belongings are 1 year older, which means that you've enjoyed those belongings for another year in you life. They brought you joy, happiness, contentment, excitement, playfulness and maybe even humor. Last year, you may have been starting to put up your traditional holiday decorations, or planning on going to a holiday-based religious service. Again, a year has passed, and during that year, like it or not, you are older, wiser and have more life experience than you have ever had in your entire life. It's a good thing! Some things, aren't always good. Some things are bad, or getting worse, or on the breaking point. That's okay too. Every single person that has ever existed on this planet has had their 'lowest point' in their lives, and/or have 'hit rock bottom'.  Here you are, having read to this paragraph, and you already have faith that, at some point, this article will come to a close. 

     See, having faith isn't necessarily a religious thing. It's spiritual, but it is not truly religious, in and of itself. It obviously, and most certainly, is applied to religious belief systems, as it should be. However, what I'm talking about is the every day belief in yourself. Remember, the first definition of faith is to have trust in someone, or something. You are a 'someone' and your life is a 'something'. Live it. Believe in it. Do not think that you will ever be capable of being anyone else, or living anyone else's life. It will never be possible simply because you are you, and there is no one like you anywhere on this planet. Now I'm going to take this belief in yourself one step further. The struggle that you are currently going through (and we all are struggling at the moment, on some level in our lives)? It will pass. You simply have to have faith in yourself that it will pass, and you simply have to put your nose to that proverbial grindstone, and weather that proverbial storm, until it does pass.

     When you look at someone else's life, and determine that it is a good life that this person is living, it is because you saw the part of that person's life that they wanted you to see. What they often do not show people, are the daily struggles each person faces. One person may have difficulty with anxiety. Another person may have a medical condition, that is not readily visible to the general public. Yet another person may have just been told that they are Cancer free, after a 2 year battle. Someone may have just lost a loved one. Perhaps that person is currently living in a bad domestic situation. You will never know, because that is not for you to know. It is also not a good idea to try and copy someone else's publicly perceived life. 

     So, no matter what you're having to go through right now, keep in mind that you need to believe in yourself, trust yourself, and have faith in yourself, that this too shall pass. Life is not a straight line. Far from it. It is a knotted up ball with one starting point, and one finish point, and it is never, under any circumstances, going to be a clear cut line. It's not supposed to be. So, the next time you look in the mirror, say to yourself, 'You got this!', and mean it! Those three words may be the difference between you having a good day, and you having a bad day. You never know, but you just need to keep having faith in yourself!