In the bible, in Matthew 17:20, it states..."Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Here is another way to look at faith from Hebrews !!:1, "Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. If you have faith then you have hope.
I believe that everything is more powerful when it starts with faith. The door is opened for the best things to occur when you let go of your fears and hesitations and just move forward with faith. This can be challenging to do. Faith takes practice, it's like a muscle that you can strengthen through practice.
Our faith can be tested when we experience hardships, illness, disappointment and loss. It's at these difficult times that we can either rely on our faith or turn from it. By holding onto our faith, its possible to see hard times as part of the journey and not as a punishment. Belief that everything happens for a reason. It's a belief that there's more to life than what's in this physical world. This concept can lead us into all kinds of related discussions about lessons, and karma, and the law of attraction, and about purpose and evolving.
Faith is about trusting the journey. Believing that there's a greater plan. Within this plan there are lessons and choices. Faith is about being in a place of yes. Trusting your instincts, your intuition, and sense of knowing that what you believe will unfold. Faith is about letting go, surrendering control and fear and living in a place of trust.
Do you practice exercising your faith? I need to daily remind myself to have faith, to not live in a state of ego and to not relinquish to fear. Tools that help to keep strengthening my faith muscle include on-going learning and reminders through reading about and listening to others who are also practicing their faith, my meditation practice, sharing and teaching faith and other spiritual practices to others, and by having the power of faith demonstrated to me on a regular basis.
Since I've been more actively exercising my faith muscle, life just makes more sense. The challenges of life make more sense too. I'm better equipped to accept them, even if I don't like them, and know that it will all be okay. I'm better able to look at the challenge from all sides and determine why it's being presented to me and what lesson is in it for me.
How do you exercise your faith muscle? What is your faith practice? How has faith enhanced your life? Have you experienced the power of faith? I would love to hear from you and learn about your faith journey.
"Your belief determines your action and your action determines your results, but first you have to believe." Mark Victor Hansen