5 Ways To Find Faith in Your Daily Life
It is light in the darkest night. It brings people to their knees. It is symbolic and powerful, yet proof less and criticized. It illuminates life and it wages war. It escapes some and captivates many. It is faith; to some it is doctrine, to others it is fiction.
Today’s definition of faith doesn’t have to relate to religion; it can be trust or belief in something without proof. But in today’s society the invisible creates disbelief. People lack faith in all areas of their lives because they are looking for evidence. They are waiting for the ideal job, the perfect relationship and financial abundance. They are looking for something tangible—and as a result, they are still waiting. When the answer doesn’t fall into their laps they become cynical and they lose faith.
I was riding in the elevator one morning and a gentleman was repeatedly pressing the button for the 5th floor, but it wasn’t lighting up. I kindly told him that I too had pressed the same button and that the light didn’t work. He laughed and said, “Are you sure we will still arrive?”
I said, “I have faith that the elevator will stop on the 5th floor, yes.”
He looked at me long and hard and responded, “Really? I’m not sure I have that much faith. If it doesn’t seem to work it must be broken.” I said, “If we arrive on 5 will you be a believer then?” He said, “No, it takes more evidence than that.”
What a powerful, symbolic statement. He lacked faith that he would arrive at his destination and for him this destination probably related to life itself. How many of you are so jaded by past experiences that you too have lost all faith and wonder if you are even on the right path?
I can relate to losing inspiration and faith. I spent three years working on a business venture that sucked the life out of my very existence, but I believed that I had to endure hardship to find happiness. I had lost hope that I would ever find passion or joy again. But my inner guidance knew better. I finally had to ask myself: Why is it okay to sacrifice even one day of my life in exchange for potential happiness, when I could be happy right now? I finally took a huge leap of faith and scrapped the entire project. I found strength in my inner wisdom, which knew that I deserved more.
What evidence do you need to rediscover faith in something or in yourself? Are you looking for a lightning bolt? Are you waiting for a lottery win? Have you considered asking for what you want or does it seem like too much to hope for? Have you searched your inner knowing to see what the block is to your own success or happiness? Are you able to recognize what you do have in life?
Today, stop and take pleasure in life’s little miracles. Recognize that each day is a gift, and understand that every breath you take is a test of faith. If you need a little reminder, try these tips on how to find faith in your daily life:
- Have Faith in Lessons Learned
First ask yourself, “Where did my faith go?” What triggered the feeling that you are unsupported? It is a past hurt? Is it a “bad” decision? Is fear playing a role? Sometimes fear tells us we can’t have something and then we lose faith because it doesn’t happen. If you can identify the origin, ask yourself what valuable lesson that experience might have taught you and where you may be repeating that same lesson today.
- Affirm
Affirmations are very powerful. Even if you don’t believe the words initially, your body absorbs the meaning cell by cell. Try, “I have faith in myself and the process of life. I am protected and joyful each and every day.”
- Check Your Pancreas
When the pancreas is imbalanced it carries the emotional energy of feeling defeated by life. Make sure you keep your blood sugar in check by eating every 3-4 hours and eliminating sugar. You may need to see a holistic practitioner to create a special diet or rebalance key minerals.
- Look for Signs
Signs can come in all forms. It can be a song that you are meant to hear or a “coincidence” that repeats itself. Be specific about what kind of sign you need to see for an answer. For example, if you need to know whether to take that new job in Florida, ask for a certain number of signs that relate to Florida that can indicate a yes.
- Dream big, expect the best and let go
The more you can imagine for yourself the bigger your life can be. The key is to believe that you are the designer of your destiny. Write out your ideal life like you already have it and then let go, trust and enjoy the ride.
About the Author
Synchronicity or Animal Guardians?
Not long ago, I came across a post from a friend of mine which told me about an experience she had while hiking a trail in Ireland. The post read as follows:
I was rushing through the last 2 hours of my hike on the Atlantic Way Trail, getting nervous about the dying twilight and empty trails. The last person I passed had been hours ago, and I still had no glimpse of Doolin. I was experiencing fatigue in my leg stabilization muscles and needed to watch my feet closely, when I looked up again I was startled to see this black dog silently watching me. I called out to her, and she timidly snuck into the high grass. 5 minutes later I turned around and she was following me a ways behind. Although I was a little unnerved, I again crouched down and called to her. She never let me touch her, but eventually, she was accompanying me into town a couple of paces behind me. Then, at the trails end and roads beginning, as suddenly as she appeared, she disappeared. It was strangely comforting to have this shadow sharing a length of the dark trail with me, and I’m thankful to her for the company.
This story reminded me of another that I had heard countless times. It was a story from my dad’s childhood in Greece. He and his friend were climbing a rocky mountain in order to avoid taking the long road from a village to the monastery where they were staying. After climbing for some time, they realized that they had reached a point where they couldn’t climb any further, but it was also too high and too steep to go back down. As the sun started to set, their fear took hold and they began wondering how long it would take people to find them once they realized they were missing. Suddenly a mountain goat appeared before them and began to walk along a path that they hadn’t seen before. They followed the goat just long enough to feel they were safe again before it disappeared just as suddenly as it had appeared before.
These stories aren’t unique. There are endless accounts of people in far more dire situations who were rescued by animals that appeared at just the right moment to ensure their safety.
In 1974, the Philippine navy published an official account of an unusual rescue. On June 2nd an inter-islander passenger ship had sunk off of the coast of an island in the southern Philippines. Two days into the search and rescue effort a woman was spotted clinging to what appeared to be an oil drum. As soon as they started hauling her up, they realized it was actually a giant sea turtle that had been propping her up. It was witnessed by Lt. Cesario F. Mana along with practically everyone else aboard the ship. Mana was quoted in the Montreal Gazette saying “The Sea Creature even circled the area twice before disappearing into the depths of the sea as if to reassure itself that its former rider was already in good hands.”
In September of 2000, 19-year-old Kevin Hines had made the decision to end his life by jumping off of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. He immediately realized after launching himself past the guardrail that he had made a mistake and he didn’t really want to die. He managed to turn his body so that he was no longer falling head first, and miraculously survived the impact. However, he was in indescribable pain as he sank below the water since he had broken his back. He was struggling to keep his head above water when he felt a creature brush against his leg, he claims that the creature kept circling him and nudging him, keeping his head above water until he was rescued by the coast guard. He believes that the creature was a seal but one man on the bridge claimed that it was actually a sea lion that was circling Kevin and keeping him alive.
There’s no question that we have a special connection with animals, but are these stories just a case of being in the right place at the right time? In Kevin Hines case, he believed that the sea lion who came to his rescue was a guardian angel, and my dad claimed that the goat leading them to safety was divine intervention as well. In Kate’s case, she was just grateful to have companionship during a part of her journey where being alone could have been dangerous.
Is it possible that these people manifested their guardians in a time of need?
