The Faith Factor
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 02:56PM 
Faith is a touchy subject. It’s a deeply personal thing, and something that varies widely from one person to the next. When push comes to shove, and you’re grasping for the reasons behind something that you can’t quite see, you find out where you’ve been hiding your faith. What or who are you trusting? The deluge of swine flu information got me thinking about it all a bit more than usual. Who or what am I trusting with my family’s health? How do I know I’m making the best choices? What should I do?
Faith has two main ingredients, with a twist. The two basic pieces are the intensity with which you have your faith, and the worthiness of the source you have it in. Both are inextricably linked, and both are valuable. You’re probably familiar with things like the Law of Attraction, or the Power of Positive Thinking. Both are based on intently marshalling your thoughts towards your desired outcome, and the belief that the focus and intensity of your thoughts will bring about the results you want. Whether you label it cosmic energy or spiritual forces or positive vibes, there is truth to the premise. The intensity of your faith is a big part of it’s value. I’ll get to the twist in a minute.
The other part of the equation, and truly the more significant one, is the worthiness of the source. If the object of your faith has no ability to give you your hopes on a platter, the intensity of your desire is pretty worthless. It might make you feel warm and fuzzy, but it won’t get the job done. If I put my swine-flu avoidance faith in the belief that all pigs will sprout wings and fly into space, taking the disease with them, I’m going to be rather disappointed. It’s up to me to determine how worthy my object(s) are. Do your homework, ask your questions, and then decide where you draw the line.
The twist is that faith takes work. (Faith without works is dead, and looks more like hope than faith.) Faith seeks, acts, loves, pursues, and proves. It’s active, relational, and touchy. The more intensely you have it, the harder you work with your objects. Interactions (with your doctor, God, yourself, the media, friend’s opinions, etc.) give you feedback, build your relationship, and tell you how well-placed your faith is.
Faith isn’t really a simple equation, it’s more like a relationship. A personal, individual relationship. One that shows up in your choices, and makes you glow when you’re really passionately and actively living it.
Reader Comments (6)
What a very timely topic for me!
Last year, my world turned around and the kids changed schools to a school that is both a new academic language for them (English) and very very very expensive. I had only my faith to think that I could ever keep the dream of international education going... and I (very suddenly, I might add) enrolled in a Masters.
I enrolled in a Masters so that I could get a job AT that school.
Part way through the Masters I found I also needed a Diploma of Education (another year at least).
And I set my sights on being the librarian, which would require another Masters (another year at least).
I have just NOW (seriously, a few minutes ago) finished that first Masters. I have no idea yet whether I will get a job next school year (maybe not?) or even the year after that (I would really hope so) and I don't know if the librarian thing is akin to me thinking that pigs will fly off into space taking swine flu with them, BUT.... for now the faith is there that somehow, something will work out and I will not spend my whole life worrying about money and the relative happiness of my kids in school.
And while we're on the topic of swine flu.... the reason I JUST finished my Masters a couple of minutes ago (as opposed to tomorrow morning when I was scheduled to write up that last 1200 word report), is that at 3:30 in the morning, two hours ago, my daughter got the swine flu and came into our bed with a raging fever. So rather than roast in there with her, I got up and finished my Masters.
Tomorrow I will take my other daughter to that very expensive international school, wearing my "Deadline" t-shirt and carrying my laptop so I can submit my final assignments (ironically, I can't send them from home, the internet connection is apparently friendlier at an International School).
So I will take my other daughter to school, submit my Masters, come home, and sleep.
And have faith that it will all work out somehow...
Ha! I just re-read what I wrote, and let me rewrite that last bit....
"So I will take my other daughter to school, submit my Masters, come home, take my swine flu daughter to the doctor around the corner, come home again, and sleep."
Have faith!
congrats on the masters, kozoji! and sorry to hear about the flu :( may it be short-lived, and fly away soon without being shared. sleep well :).
as per our conversation, it looked like you were saying that faith comes from working, but I think you were actually saying that, when one has the faith to move forward, one does, and work ensues as a fruit, out-come or effect of faith, rather than the other way around. We do not work on faith. Faith is not a personal attribute, but a sense, a path, an approach. The two "first" words in the only biblical definition of faith given are "substance" and "evidence." No blind leaps, no "believing something you can't see", no "system of religious doctrine," no "trust, really."
@mike, yes, and thanks. i was picturing the leunig cartoon that shows a man stepping onto an unfolding road when writing (can't find pics anywhere), which @kozoji introduced to me awhile back. the path unfolding, and the steps you take on it that show it's existence: the work and the fruit.
ie: kozoji's faith is evidenced by her masters work.
Every man has his faith. I do not think this issue should be developed for the controversy arises
this subject make wars