The mover of mountains

'FAITH IS THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR, THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN'

'Faith enables the unseen things that we hope for. When it matures, that thing for which we hope will become more real than those things which are visible'. Tentmaker.org.

Faith. A belief in something greater than one's self.

Faith. A positive request of the mind to the brain, relayed through the subconscious, which will be manifested in the thing affirmed and believed.

Faith. An unquestioned affirmation made manifest.

'Faith, derived from Latin fides and Old French feid, is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people often think of faith as confidence based on a perceived degree of warrant, while others who are more skeptical of religion tend to think of faith as simply belief without evidence'. (Wikipedia).

Faith, by other names:

Optimism.

Confidence.

Conviction.

Zen.

Faith is a many layered word, filled with twists and turns, and which may require a degree of stages experienced, before achieving a perfect state of belief and acceptance.

Stages of faith:

1. Intuitive-Projective: a stage of confusion and of high impressionability through stories and rituals (pre-school period). ****************

2. Mythic-Literal: a stage where provided information is accepted in order to conform with social norms (school-going period). *****************

3. Synthetic-Conventional: in this stage the faith acquired is concreted in the belief system with the forgoing of personification and replacement with authority in individuals or groups that represent one's beliefs (early-late adolescence). *******************

4. Individuative-Reflective: in this stage the individual critically analyzes adopted and accepted faith with existing systems of faith. Disillusion or strengthening of faith happens in this stage. Based on needs, experiences and paradoxes (early adulthood). *****************

5. Conjunctive faith: in this stage people realize the limits of logic and, facing the paradoxes or transcendence of life, accept the "mystery of life" and often return to the sacred stories and symbols of the pre-acquired or re-adopted faith system. This stage is called negotiated settling in life (mid-life). ************************

6. Universalizing faith: this is the "enlightenment" stage where the individual comes out of all the existing systems of faith and lives life with universal principles of compassion and love and in service to others for upliftment, without worries and doubt (middle-late adulthood (45–65 years old and plus). **********************

No hard-and-fast rule requires individuals pursuing faith to go through all six stages. There is a high probability for individuals to be content and fixed in a particular stage for a lifetime; stages from 2–5 are such stages. Stage 6 is the summit of faith development. This state is often considered as "not fully" attainable.(Wikipedia).

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Faith?

That final stage which is often considered not fully attainable.

Faith, much like self acceptance, is an acquired taste. One has to arrive at their acme of individualism in their own time, and at their own pace.

After researching and stating these wonderful words about faith and belief, I must confess that I am a far distance from achieving this wonderful state of being.

My resolve is on shaky grounds these days, even worse than before all these events showered stress and hardship upon us all. Virus, aloneness, lack of healing being prevented by war and destruction, it is a great deal to ask of individuals sorely tried and tested by life's heartaches and hardships.

Faith matters. We need it more than ever in order to remain sane and be able to guide each other back to health, wealth and prosperity. We need faith to uplift and warm our spirits, even when it appears that there is no end to the darkness surrounding and threatening to suffocate us.

Humanity has proven time and time antediluvian and immemorial, that we do not believe in giving up.

We fight, with out last breaths for our survival. It is not in our nature to surrender, but to battle to the bitter end.

For it is then that we arise from the ashes, much like the phoenix, to rebuild and renew.

Faith shall enable us to move mountains.

N.A.