“Faith is allowing oneself to be seized by what we do not see.”- Martin Luther
What is faith? Is it religion? No, for I know many who have faith but no religion, Bono of U2 fame, for one. Is it spirituality? Mmm, no I don’t think so either, for I know those terms are not synonymous, because spirit is merely consciousness.
Faith, is putting trust in the unknown. Faith is believing in a moral path. Faith allows us to yield control to that unknown. Religion, as we know it, is about control. Religion is judgemental, predatory and fear filled. Religion came to rise when power sought control. It took away one’s ability to dig deep within oneself to find where that faith lies. For there is no need to search for something when it’s spoonfed to you. So what, it’s not exactly what you might find when you dig, but it’s close enough, right? And when one is thirsting for direction, one will follow anyone who promises the right way.
Faith is personal. Faith is unique to each individual. It is neither right nor wrong, it is what YOU believe. YOUR relationship with YOUR CREATOR is something only YOU can choose. And THAT is the true nature of Faith. It is not brow beating, fear mongering or deceit. It is remembering a simple Hebrew phrase-
בּשׁבילי נברא העולם ואנכי עפר ואפר
For my sake, the world was created and I am dust and ash. The first part speaks to one’s potential, the second to what one has actualized. It’s a way of looking at the dichotomy of our self-worth. And that keeps us humbled in faith.
Yesterday my best friend and I took my new Sig out for some practice and training. She has little experience so this was more about getting her comfortable with it and making sure we correct any bad habits. I haven’t fired a weapon in so many years, I know I need it too. So we weren’t focused on hitting a target as much as we were on just getting comfortable. We will be doing this on a regular basis from here on out.
There’s something to be said about how you connect with Spirit, though I’m quite sure I have no idea what. In all honesty, I am not even sure how I connect, though I know I do. I have moments when I cannot distinguish the physical world from the world of Spirit. In those moments, everything makes perfect sense. Every bit of how messed up our world is, every bit of visceral anger, every ounce of hate; they all make sense when I am floating in the realm of true existence. Yet, when I re-enter the physical world, every bit of calm serenity falls away and I am left with an immense feeling of dread. I know it’ll all work out the way it is intended, and I know the end result will be a better world for us all. Yet, I can’t help the sinking feeling I get when some new headline reveals more corruption, deceit and lies. I am not a Pollyanna, for I understand the corrupt nature of Man. However, it begs me to ask, why? Why are we so Hell bent on control? Why are we so focused on ...
