Faith

Faith is an act of ultimate concern.

—Paul Tillich

By faith, I don’t mean obedience to any principle or doctrine or person, but more, a faith in life. Faith is our covenant with life no matter what befalls us. It is our belief that we are part of something larger than us. It is our commitment to let all that is larger than us be our teacher. What light is for plants and flowers, faith is for human souls. It is that which causes us to grow and that toward which we grow. Imagine a seed growing underground toward a light it can’t yet see. In just this way, love and suffering cause us to break ground and flower. We break ground by following our heart, by being real, by being kind. This stirring, this breaking ground, this flowering is our transformation. When faithful—when full of our belief in life—we reveal the force that joins us. There are many names for this force. Some call it God. Some call it Allah. Some call it the Holy Ghost. Some call it Yaweh. Some call it the Collective Unconscious. Some call it Atman. Some call it Oneness. Some call it the Great Spirit. Some call it Nature. Some just call it life-force. I welcome it by any name. It has saved my life.

A Question to Walk With: Describe what faith means to you. Then, describe your own struggle with faith in life. How does it show up? How is life asking you to believe in it?

This excerpt is from my book in progress, Falling Down and Getting Up.

AUG 26-28: Mercy By the Sea, 167 Neck Rd, Madison CT, weekend workshop, Reclaiming Our Humanity: Being Fierce and Tender in Our Call to Love, Fri 7-9:30PM EST Sat 9:30-5:30PM EST, Sun 9:30-1230PM, (web link) –
IN PERSON

SEPT 16-18: Friday Night Reading and Weekend Retreat (Sat and Sun), Surviving Storms: Finding the Strength to Meet Adversity, The Sophia Institute, Charleston, SC, or call 843-720-8528, (web link) — IN PERSON & ONLINE

OCT 28-30: Harmony Hill Retreat Center, Surviving Storms: Finding the Strength to Meet Adversity, A Weekend Retreat, (web link) — IN PERSON