Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search
Breaking News:

Having faith can transform your life

By Mary Alade
18 February 2017   |   1:18 am
Like many of us, there was a time when I had a habit of trusting people; being hurt by them and realising I could not trust them. I would be saddened by their actions or lack of.

Having faith

Like many of us, there was a time when I had a habit of trusting people; being hurt by them and realising I could not trust them. I would be saddened by their actions or lack of. Because of this, I started to believe that if you want something done right, I should do it myself after all, if I don’t open up my heart to anyone, they can’t hurt me; this habit, belief, mindset, I had to stop as it actually in reality was a negative attitude.    

For a long time, I spent many, and I do mean many, years going through so much turmoil in my life of which I spent keeping close to my chest. It used to sadden me when I’d look back at all those years. Some refer to such as wasted years spent, however I personally refer to them as “my life experiences” of which I have learnt from and in a lot of ways am thankful for the “experiences” no matter how painful at given time in my life. Please do not misunderstand, I am not saying nor implying that when anyone experiences turmoil in their life that it is that simple to move forward just like that at the snap of a finger. I always had my faith, but I spent many a time being unhappy and upset about things I felt I just could not do anything about. I did not feel at peace, I went through feelings of guilt, I felt condemned often… It truly was difficult at the time to enjoy life as we are meant to.

I am so thankful for a few years back I experienced such an amazing transformation in my life and developed the habit of actually completely trusting my faith that now I know life is truly worth living even when it may appear difficult.    

Faith is trust which in turn, is simply to believe that you are loved by one who loves you back without judgement in any form whatsoever… Comforting right…. The problem is that as humans we have a tendency to more than likely to be unbelieving believers that there is such a “greater force” out there, and yet we allow ourselves to trust our friends, doctors, banks, the government, our families and so on so much more.  Okay, now you just might be asking what I mean by “a greater force”? I am simply referring to God, Allah… Our Father….

When you have faith there is an indescribable wonderful and peaceful strength within you; yes, sometimes it wavers and you might question it, but that is the test you face with time and patience. I have come to realise that life is simple if we would choose not to complicate it.

What is The Art of Giving?
Mother Teresa quotes, “It’s not how much we get but how much love we put into giving.”So, what do you consider as giving? I’m sure at some point in our lives we have given it some thought and have wondered what exactly do we give and can be considered as giving.

It is already understood and accepted that giving is an act performed without any selfish desire without expectation of return thereby serving others selflessly. Such as when you give a gift to someone whether it be a friend, partner, family member, colleague, or even a total stranger. You wish them well without a second thought of them doing neither it for you or the expectation of a thank you in return just as you would pray for others without rewards to self.

Giving is not to receive; it is something done with a conscience mindset of no reward at the end of said act. It is the law of giving; a law of life. You rejoice in the happiness of the receiver and the blessing of it. “We make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give.”- Winston Churchill. 

In other words, what we give out, and how, comes back to us. Giving is anything from an act of happiness, help, financial, emotional support, encouragement and so on… It is not materialistic. Giving is not an act about expecting anything in return. The moment you begin to expect anything in return, you are inviting and giving rise to anger, sadness, jealousy and so on which are not and cannot be associated with the act as it is not about how much or what you can get, but about the love you put into giving…. It is not about you or your wants etc.

You cannot call yourself giver when you give what is asked, as that, in my opinion, is close to expecting something on demand from me. It is about an act performed that feels right within you and not about what they ask, but rather what they do not anticipate or ask for which is heard and seen from within you your inner being. It is a free act of action and thought. However, your answer to giving lies on your individual conscience and what you perceive as helping others without any expectation in return.

I love this quote by Princess Elizabeth Bibesco who said, “Blessed are those who can give without remembering, and take without forgetting.”“Keep in mind there is plenty you see in others that also exists in you” By M.H.I. Alade August 31st 2015.As the saying goes, you reap what you sow and get back in return what you give.
What are you giving today?

In this article

0 Comments