“Without
faith, nothing is possible.
With
faith, nothing is impossible.”
These words, spoken by the very well respected and highly regarded
African-American educator, civil-rights activist and trusted presidential
advisor Mary McLeod Bethune, speak
directly to the formidable power of faith in the life of anyone who truly wants
to succeed. She insisted that the elusive factor that provides the strength and
confidence to complete a desired undertaking is having the Faith that it will be done. Her own life is a testament to this.
From very humble and traumatic beginnings, she rose to occupy the highest
pinnacles of the literary world, not just because of her latent ability, but
equally from her constant, unwavering faith in herself.
Faith refers to that indescribable feeling that comes
from deep within the individual’s psyche in times of need or challenge. It
serves as the catalyst to provide a shield of confidence and the strength of
conviction needed to ensure completion of the task. It influences thinking, suppresses
uncertainty, provides stability and ensures the strength of character essential
to continue, even when the end result might be in doubt. It is that special force
which when fully developed, will give
full expression of confidence and unshakable trust that the outcome will always
be favorable, even if all the indications are to the contrary.
When
faith is in control, there is always a commanding and tangible aura of calm
confidence that radiates from the person, and an accompanying firm belief that
the action contemplated is founded on truth and therefore fully predictable. Emotionally,
it is the overriding factor that leads to success whether it is for the child
who takes his first ride on a bicycle, or fireman who enters a burning
building, or pilot flying his airplane, or the missionary travelling to unknown
places, or any of the countless human endeavors we all attempt as a part of our
living. The constant denominator in all these actions is not only ability and
desire, but the faith that it will be done. Norman
Vincent Peale, the renowned American minister, inspirational speaker and author
of “the power of positive thinking,”
strongly endorsed this approach when he
advised:
“Believe
in yourself. Have faith in your abilities.
Without a
humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or
happy.”
Faith
however, must never be confused with the sense of confidence that comes from
being fully prepared, or with having the knowledge and experience to anticipate
difficulties that may arise and then dealing with them. This ability has its
basis of knowledge from learning and past experience, which together serves to
provide the success. The confidence exhibited is such cases arise not from the
faith within, but more from the understanding without. The architect who plans
a structure, or a surgeon who treats his patient, or a meteorologist who
predicts the weather, all do so, not on hope and faith, but rather on
confidence and expertise. In such instances, the optimism that is reflected by
these people is based on the confidence of experience and not on just blind
hope or faith. Helen Keller, the
incomparable American educator an social activist, who despite being deaf/mute
from very early in her life, nevertheless achieved an amazing level of success,
offered the following explanation:
“Optimism is the faith that leads to
achievement.
Nothing can be done without hope and
confidence.”
This not withstanding, true faith is undoubtedly a profound
human characteristic which, even without being aware of it, plays a significant
role in all aspects of our daily lives. It is present, to greater or lesser
extent, in every thing we do or think of doing, in every decision we make, and
every conclusion we arrive at. When it is present, there is a feeling of calm
confidence that all will be well, and that we will be protected from the always
present human fears of failure, loss, disappointment and shame. Without this
being present, there is no real guarantee that the choices we make will ever succeed
in achieving their goals. In fact, the great majority will unhesitatingly
confess that they trusted their faith to
see them through, even when all else indicated otherwise. It is no surprise
therefore, that in every aspect of life and living stories of true faith abound
throughout the history of mankind and are witnessed regularly in one way or
another by everyone on a daily basis.
In
many ways it would be correct to assume that faith is a major component in
everyone’s DNA. From the moment of birth and throughout our life as we go
through, moving from one encounter to another, we are more often guided
by hope and faith than by certainty. It begins with the trusting faith of every
child who looks to the parent to satisfy it’s every need. And it continues,
without any cessation, throughout the lifetime of the individual. He wakes up
in the morning with the faith that the rest of the day is manageable. He
functions for the rest of the day with the faith that everyone will do their
part, and goes to bed, with faith that he will be alive the next day. Even the
food he consumes can only be consumed because of an underlying faith that it
will do no harm. When he crosses the street, he does so because of his faith
that the oncoming traffic will not affect him. In fact, to an extent, all of
life can be reduced in some way to being a matter of faith!
Martin
Luther King, Jr. one of America’s
greatest civil rights leaders who was undoubtedly responsible for changing the
country’s attitudes and behavior n the field of human rights, once observed:
“Faith is
taking the first step forward even though you don’t see the whole staircase.”
He was describing that special force that comes from deep within the
individual and points to the right direction, even without any evidence to
support it. It is born of an overriding belief, and propagated by an
overwhelming desire to fulfill its needs. It occurs in every aspect of human
expression, at any age and at any time. The only requirements are a belief, a
desire and the courage and commitment of faith to complete the task. This is
the faith that propelled Christopher
Columbus to sail across the Atlantic Ocean, assisted Sir Edmund Hilliary to conquer Mount Everest, Victor Frankl who overcame the terrors of the Nazi concentration camp
and still produce one of the most influential books on human behavior, and Helen Keller who, despite losing her
vision and hearing early in life, achieved great respect as an activist and an
educator. These are but four of an endless list of people who have been able to
overcome daunting obstacles to rise to the highest pinnacles of recognition
because of their faith and trust in themselves and their vision.
The
Holy Bible in St. Paul’s letter to the Hebrews 11:1 defines this very precisely and
clearly in these words:
“Faith is
the confidence that what we hope for will happen, and provides assurance for those
things we do not see.”
-Without any question, this is also a
statement that we should all keep close to us in everything we do or think of
doing!
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