Faith and Spiritual Journeys

How would you define your faith? Is it unshakable, or is it driven by your circumstances? Do you trust God or believe in the existence of a universal power—but only as long as life favors you? Or do you find yourself questioning your faith the moment you feel your good karma, prayers or positive attitude weren’t rewarded? Your answers to these questions will help you understand yourself and the path of your spiritual journey.

From the moment we are born we start receiving messages about the two-way relationship between effort and reward. The conditioning starts with a baby’s first steps and generally continues until the time an adult reaches the end of his life cycle, with everything in life governed by rewards whether they be material or emotional.

You work hard in school so you can achieve academic success. You make your professional decisions hoping to manifest financial rewards or gain personal/creative satisfaction. You take great care to pick up a gift for a loved one because you want to see her smile. Even an act of random kindness comes with the reward of personal satisfaction. While there is nothing wrong with expecting rewards for our efforts, but the problem arises when we apply this philosophy to our faith as well and start expecting instant gratification without bothering to examine things from a higher perspective.

Faith, however, is about trust: trust that is unshakable. Unfortunately, our conditioning is such that most of us trust only when we see the results.

A lot of people—even those who consider themselves spiritual—believe if their karma is good and if they visualize what they really want, good fortune will follow suit. But often in life it happens that despite all our good deeds, life throws curve ball after curve ball at us! It is in such situations that many of us start questioning our faith. And when things get very messy, we even start wondering if God really exists!

Those who have been following a life’s journey which embraces a greater amount of spiritual transition and growth understand and trust everything has a purpose. And more than that, they stick by their belief even in the most difficult of circumstances. Very often some of the worst situations in our lives lead to life-altering discoveries. In fact, if you will look back at your life you’ll realize there was indeed a purpose behind the worst life situations you have experienced. It really is all about connecting the dots. So if you can keep faith and trust your inner guidance in the most trying circumstances in life, not only will dealing with challenges that life throws at you become easier, but you’ll also be able to examine your problems from a different and grander perspective.

The awareness and acceptance of the fact that every random event in your life is connective will help you better understand and appreciate the universal design for your life. It will help you see yourself not just as an individual, but as a part of a greater plan where you are meant to play your part, learn your lessons and keep stepping into action. By keeping faith we will be able to acknowledge these facts without feeling overwhelmed by the problems that life throws at us.

Until next time, embrace your inner wisdom.

Namaste,
Karen