Art of living - The magical power of faith

There are three types of faith: Faith in oneself, faith in the world, and faith in the Divine. All these faiths are connected. You must have all three faiths to be strong. To have faith is to realize that God is protecting you. This is a necessary and a sufficient condition to move ahead in life. 

During the harvest season, the farmer separates husk from grain with a broad sieve. He stands on an elevated platform, holds the sieve and puts all his grains into it. He then proceeds to shake the sieve. If the particle that falls through the sieve is mere husk, it flies away and is lost. Meanwhile, the grains fall to the ground and stay put. Similarly, if your faith is shaken very quickly and too often, or if you lack faith in difficult times, then you are akin to the flying husk. One whose faith shakes when faced by catastrophes cannot smile through them. If you lack faith and if events frighten you, then you fly away like the husk, lost and anchorless. On the other hand, if you have faith that everything will be all right, you will find stability and everything will settle down. 

When this knowledge “I am blessed,” is established firmly in one’s life, it is called faith. This feeling of “I am blessed” can help you overcome any obstacle. Once you realize that you are blessed, complaints disappear, as do grumblings and insecurities. If you are grounded in faith, then you will progress and maintain your equanimity in this world. Faith leads to prayer, and prayer is a vital tool to improve your life. Now, prayer happens in two situations or in a combination of situations. You pray when you feel grateful or when you feel utterly helpless. In either case, your prayers will be heard / answered.  

Faith plays a big role in shaping one’s life. Even those who say, “I don’t believe in anything,” have to believe in their words! The issue is where you place your faith. For an atheist, his faith in objects is obvious; his faith in people is fluid and his faith in the unseen power of creation is ambiguous. However, for a believer, his faith in the unseen power is supreme; his faith in people is inconsequential and objects do not matter in any way. The role of faith is even more visible in the materialistic world. Faith saves one from suicidal tendencies and helps people see beyond the obvious. Faith is realizing that you always get what you need. Faith is giving the Divine a chance to act.