The older I get the more I realize just how powerful faith is. I have also revised my definition of this concept considerably over the years. When I first really grappled with the subject of faith, I was a young man. About 18 or 19 years of age. I was convinced that if I believed enough, that God would send a angel to visit me and layout the mysteries of the Universe for me. Well that did not happen, needless to say.
However, there are a few concepts that I have absolutely arrived at which I absolutely believe now. Here are a few of them.
First off, faith is not an obscure concept for religious people. Faith is actually better treated as a verb, an action word. Faith cannot be a passive concept, to have effect. Faith is basically belief accompanied by action. Too many people believe something to be right, true or correct and yet never take action. Therefore the belief never becomes reality. This is not a religious concept, just because I am using the word faith. I will use an example.
I can believe that hard work will payoff. Meaning that if I put hard work into something, that it will payoff and I will see the results in some monetary gain on my part. I can believe that concept all that I want to, but unless I take action, meaning actually put in the hard work then I will just never see the result I believe in. I have heard people profess beliefs my entire life, but I have rarely seen them act on them. In essence, I have seen many a believer, but very few faithful. The faithful are the ones that take action. The adherents. The followers of the way, so to speak.
The second concept is this. The more accurate or true something is the more that faith in that something will produce a beneficial result. If you have faith in something that is 100% completely false, then you will just not see a result. However, that is rarely the case. Usually we believe in something that is partially true. Consequently, when you apply faith to that partially true concept, you will get results. Faith produces results, and it does so because there is truth in the concept. So the more true something is, the more your faith will have effect. You can apply this to religion, but you can also apply it to concepts. If, for example, we take the concept hard work will payoff. This may not be completely true, there are certainly other factors involved. However, there is some truth to it and therefore faith applied will definitely make progress for you.
If you took for example, a religious doctrine. Let me pick an easy one. Treat others as you would want to be treated. This is the golden rule, or in otherwise the universal principle of reciprocity. The concept that you have faith in is that if you live by this principle then you will lead a good life, rich in reward and happiness. Effectively, the treatment that you extend to others will be returned to you. This is a belief that every religion that I know of, claims as their own. It is an absolute ethic and one of the few that exist in all humankind. Lets say for a moment that this concept is so universal, that we can claim that it is 100% true. If that is the case, then faith (action) applied toward this concept will lead to the fastest and most reliable results.
There are non-sectarian examples. Think on this, there is a belief held by most sales people that contact with their client is what ultimately produces results. Any contact, usually good or bad, is going to produce a result for you. Now you can believe this all that you want, but until you actually start spending time with your clients you will not see the results promised by this axiom. I was thinking about all the negativity surrounding Trump and all his tweets that everyone does a giant eye roll about. Trump has absolutely put faith (action) in this concept. He certainly believes that he must message what he is thinking directly to his followers, to his supporters. He does not mask it, does not shield it, there is not a single handler that has ever been able to get in front of Trump and his 3am tweets. You would think that after all the condemnation, vitriol, antagonism, and sheer hatred over some of his messages that he would eventually cave and let his team filter his stream of consciousness. Nope. Why? He has faith in the concept that any contact with his supporters is good contact. Funny thing is, that all the political mind think just cannot comprehend this simple formula. Trump is like the monk that swears he can hear the voice of God in the garden he is working on day and night. The Nay Sayers mock the monk and claim they cannot hear any voices as they trample around in the garden. Yet, the monk / gardener knows the result. He has applied his faith, the results have happened. The garden grows.
Guy Reams
