Many months ago I wrote of The Folly of Faith. I discussed having faith in something, anything. This wasn’t referring to a religious faith, but rather our faith in something good, a faith in belonging, a faith of trust. Any faith, really.
Do you still have faith in something or do you feel hopeless? Maybe you vacillate between the two? Probably. Every now and then, in order to stave off hopelessness, I count the ways I have faith. Many of these things are unconscious acts which I appreciate more than if they were forced and demonstrate a base faith, in something.
One of the things I spend time doing, to occupy my brain and not occupy the bottle, is tending to the flora, fauna, and vegetables on my property. My gardens. I spend alot of time preparing the soil, planting the seeds, ridding it of bad weeds, giving it nutrients like water and food, and then harvesting the fruits of my labor. Pun intended. Or is that a double entendre?
I realized that I am doing this, subconsciously, on faith. I have faith that I know what I am doing. I have faith that my time is well spent vs do something negative. I have faith that all my work will bear fruit or vegetables or blooms. I have faith that I will be proud of my accomplishments.
I also spend a bunch of time taking care of our pool. I make sure the chemical balance is right. I scoop the pine needles that fall from the trees who obviously think their job is to dirty my pool with their offspring. I vacuum the bottom of the dirt. I scrub the walls to make sure the algae doesn’t hold. I clean the pool toys. This is all on faith. I have faith that I am maintaining the right chemical balance. I have faith that I will prevent algae and other gunk from forming. I have faith that my nephew and niece will enjoy playing in the pool with clean toys. I have faith that it will be a source of joy.
I think, by now, you are getting the point. Faith is everywhere. Even when we feel hopeless. We just have to open our mind to it and let it occur naturally. Stop fighting it and let faith bring you joy. Does it really matter if my pool is clean and my garden grows in the grand scheme of things? No, not really. What does matter is that I am not hopeless, thinking that there is no meaning in Chapter 3 of my life. What matters is that the roots of faith take hold in my soul and sprout forth good clean and fruitful results.
What simple things do you do that demonstrates faith in something, keeping hopelessness away?
— SGM DTB —
