Faith is like a tree. It stands tall and weathers the storm because it is firmly grounded. Its roots reach deep and wide, its base thick and solid. It grows stronger as time passes and it reaches up, receiving warmth with open arms.
This was a little bit I came up with a while ago when living in Nashville. It was a beautiful afternoon and I was in a particularly reflective mood.
As I walked around the small apartment complex where I lived, I noticed a tree I so often overlooked, standing, beaming in the sunlight just outside the apartment and I went to sit there beneath it, witnessing this analogy to faith.
Reflection
A few years back, I did a purge of almost all my posts, pictures, and videos on Facebook so that I could start fresh with the intention of sharing only the content I valued.
In the process, I found reflections of my early faith in Christianity, for I grew up in a Christian household and was influenced greatly by the religion.
When I was younger, I had a naive sense of faith. Like a child, I was more willing to believe in something I didn’t fully understand. But somewhere in the naiveté, a feeling emerged. A feeling that surpasses all comprehension.
In essence, that is what faith is—an incomprehensible feeling.
Even now, I grasp that feeling from time to time, like a tree, feeling forces outside my understanding and comprehension supporting me.
I learned to question my faith and even the faith of my parents and those around me.
I found through that questioning that what I feel is what truly matters, and mindfulness gives me the awareness to recognize what I feel more and more.
I found that I aligned most with the core beliefs and philosophy of Buddhism, but also held on to the values instilled in a Christian household.
Mindfulness meditation and journaling instilled in me a compass that guides me when I am confused or unsteady and community-based fellowship and prayer instilled in me the faith needed to face any challenge this world throws at me.
I had to discover for myself that I do feel a sense of peace and contentment in believing I was created, that I was beautifully and wonderfully made.
Creator, Higher-Power, Yahweh, Father, whatever incredibly simple term we use to describe such a feeling as God, faith is the pillar to reaching it.
Faith requires a complete and utter surrender of self. It is letting go of logic and reason like meditation is letting go of thought and sensation.
Faith exists in the present too, I cannot be faithful towards a higher power or even another person in the past or the future, only here and now.
Encouragement
I encourage us to really question our beliefs, our perspective of faith, and what it means to us.
Ask yourself specifically what you believe or even if you believe in anything. It’s completely okay if you don’t know, this is simply a healthy thought experiment.
Write down those beliefs you hold firmly, those you would like to change, and those you would not support at all.
Thanks
Thank you deeply for your attention in reading this post, it is a rare gift these days.
As always, feel free to leave a comment or share this post, let me know if you enjoy the posts. You can also Buy Me a Coffee if you are inclined to do so. Thank you in advance!
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