A WORD FOR EVERY SEASON: FAITH
In previous years I have chosen a word to hold onto for the year, something to focus on and turn to for inspiration, for example in 2017 my word for the year was ‘Ease’. However at the start of 2018 I couldn’t settle on a word, but as the year has gone on there has been one word that has kept coming into focus. It has become apparent that the word very much needed for this season of my life is ‘Faith’.
The word ‘Faith’ and its meaning can take quite a lot of unpicking… it can mean vastly different things to everyone. It is a word that can mean so much to so many.
Faith can be elusive to some but for others it can be the one thing that underpins all their choices.
It’s not surprising that for the majority of people the word faith is inextricably linked to their religion or spiritual practice. It’s hard to talk about one without talking about the other. But what if you don’t follow a religion or spiritual practice, were does your faith come from then?
To really understand your faith, surely you first have to work out what your faith is. What are your beliefs and the essential principles that you follow in life? What is it that roots you? And what are those roots anchored to? I read a great article on ‘On Being‘ recently which contained this quote from Rumi “…it is the root of the root of the root of the faith”. It’s not just enough to know what anchors you because in stormy times those roots need roots too in order to really keep you grounded.
One of the main reasons that faith is such an important word for my life right now is that faith and hope go hand in hand. They are essential ideals to hang on to when floating through life’s darker times.
Having been trying for a second child for over four years now, you’ll understand why I am low on the hope and in desperate need of the faith.
Faith that I am right where I need to be and that everything is unfolding as it should even if it is different to how I imagined life might be. It makes sense that there must be the seed of faith to allow space for hope to grow. So I am grounding myself in faith….
Faith that mothering another soul is in my future in an unexpected way.
Faith that having the courage to be vulnerable and open is the way to a wholehearted future.
Faith that things being difficult isn’t a signpost that you are not headed in the right direction.
Faith in the goodness of others.
I am still working out some of the finer points of how faith shows up in my life. More specifically, how to stay connected to it, and how to fuel my faith? However, the more layers I unpeel the more I figure out what faith is not….
For a while, I thought faith would feel like a bright warm light washing away any darkness or pain and I wanted faith to come to my rescue. But that’s not how faith works.
“Faith is a place of mystery, where we find the courage to believe in what we cannot see and the strength to let go of fear and uncertainty.”
~ Brene Brown
I think I find the believing in what we cannot see mush easier than finding the strength to let go of fear and uncertainty. It’s understandable that we have fear… fear that the faith is misplaced and the things that you hope for and believe will not manifest or come true. It’s also understandable that we all like a little assurance. That’s the tricky thing about faith though, it’s baked into its very definition, there is no proof, no guarantees.
So here I sit, working on being at peace with the mysteries of faith and spirituality – it’s okay to not want or need all the answers.
Focusing on cultivating more faith and letting hope float to the surface.
Sinking into the slow moments of my day, and connecting deeply to myself through my yoga and meditation practice. These are things that ground me and feed my faith.
Recognising, that there is a lot to be found in the nuances of life and learning to appreciate the subtle light and shade.
Finally, how important it is to return to uncovering the root of the root of the root.
Would love to know where your faith comes from? How do you feed that faith and keep it alive?