PERFECTION asks: How do you keep the faith, knowing that there’s nothing for you to hold on?
Hi PERFECTION –
Well… to your question about keeping the faith when there’s nothing to hold on to… that’s the only faith that matters. Whether it’s faith in a religion or faith in the goodness of people or faith in the future, it’s only faith if you still believe when there’s nothing there to tell you it’s true. What I think you’re really asking is how to have real faith.
And the only answer I know to that is to trust as far as you can, and then try to trust more. And if you lose your trust, try again. And eventually, you’ll find that you’ll look for things to increase your faith when doubt arises. But then, there may be some areas where your faith is misplaced.
I love to tell the story of the time Handsome put a leash on me and opened the car door, so I excitedly knew he was taking me somewhere… and then slammed the door right on my tail! I screamed, and he fell onto it, checking out every bone, apologizing with every breath, begging my forgiveness. It was okay, nothing was broken. But I learned something very important. That he’s not perfect. He didn’t mean to hurt me, but he did. So ever since, when I get into a car, I turn so that I know my tail’s not in the door. And he thanks me for it.
You see, my faith, in him being perfect and never making a mistake, was misplaced. Where my faith belongs, and exists fully, is in his love for me. That I fully trust. But I needed to adjust my beliefs.
So have faith as far as you can. And then, maybe, you’ll need to tweak it just a little. But then it can be strong again, stronger than ever.
Best of luck!