What is Faith? And how does it help us?

In my experience, peace, faith, and love (all the big ones) have been shown to me in moments that are not filled with people, tasks, or even successes. Faith that everything is always as it should be, past and present, arrives when I am still. In stillness, I see more clearly. In the quiet, I sense that something bigger is happening - and I am not doing it.

A sense of being held is often all we need to step out of our inner turmoil and into unwavering belief. Faith does not depend on an outcome or anything exterior to look a certain way. Faith is often the opposite - belief despite how something appears.

Faith can be in a higher power, or something outside of you. Faith can also be in yourself. Faith is moving forward without knowing what will happen next. Faith is believing that however you proceed, the result will be good for you, and for everyone.

It's very easy to get wrapped up in small ideas that make us think something is wrong. We behave badly, we have a bad day, or we don't get an outcome we deeply desire. What happened? What are we missing?

Humans move through life in a certain amount of pain and ignorance. We can't see the big picture - we want to know the reasons why but that's not how life works. We don't get all the answers. We only see the next few steps in front of us. As we move along, more is revealed, but it takes faith to keep going.

So how do we resume our faith when we have lost it? What do we do when hopelessness and doubt take over?

Some people pray. Some people meditate. Some people go for a walk. In any of these situations, the commonality is the "not doing."

When all faith is lost, step into stillness.

Surrender.

Surrender again.

Watch and observe. Watch your own feelings. Watch something in nature. Watch a child, a pet, or an elderly person. Glimpse the beauty that exists in one, single moment, and stop doing whatever you think you should be doing.

Stop trying to figure out the plan. Stop trying to master the Universe. After I surrender something, when I actually stop and say to myself, "I can't do this anymore." something miraculously shifts. Maybe not right away. But soon, after some time of "not doing" more of the path is revealed. My footing is firmer. My faith shows up, and I can then continue forward.