Monday, June 20, 2011

FAITH IS WHERE THE HEART IS

A rainy day. So what does a rainy day like this bring to my mind?

This -----

No amount of intellectual thinking or educated brain or brilliance or wit can take you to that point of faith. It can't and never will be able to fathom the wonder and mystery of it. Research it but still you will feel empty inside. Experiment on it and it will only lead you back to where you started... still wondering.

Sometimes we just don't get it, do we? Even if others who know have tried with their stories and lives to tell us what it truly is. Even if we see dozens like them with our eyes, still we don't get it.

But I know why we still don't. So then ... you ask why?

Our hearts are not paying attention. It takes on a lot --- fear, joy, sadness, grief, hate, resentment, bitterness, loneliness, love, hope --- but always and always it finds it so hard to have faith.

Faith is nothing you can cause by yourself alone. It's not the magic that happens with a wish-upon-a-star or a wave of your fairy godmother's magic wand. It's not a piece of candy in a candy store that looking so gorgeous you want it for yourself too. It is not even when you are down in misery crying buckets that would qualify you to hold it in your hand.

It's far more than that... and yet so simple too.

Because all that you have to do is simply to open up your heart and let God with his gentle and loving hands put faith in there.

And when you ever find it, it can be so fragile and fleeting that if you don't hold it close and nurture it... it will fly away. The fire of faith has to be rekindled again and again, nurtured with our life day after day. It's life depends on the life you put into it with your heart.

Faith is a gift ... a gift you can ask for, pray for, live for.

"Faith is an oasis in the heart which can never be reached by the caravan of thinking" --- Kahlil Gibran
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A blessed Monday to everyone. :-)
(Quote and image courtesy of a good friend.)

6 comments:

  1. Hey Ellen,

    What a wonderful way to start the week WITH FAITH


    well, I always sign off with that "Keep faith" and have achived a lot just coz of faith :)
    thx for enlightening us:)

    take care

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  2. That's so true, Chakoli. Much more can be achieved with faith. Blessings to you and your loved ones.

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  3. Hi Sana! great to see you. Hope your day is going along fine. God bless you and your family.

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  4. Ellen,

    First of all - MANY MANY HAPPY RETURNS OF THE DAY.

    Read 3 pending posts. On Letting Go, it is so true and it seems based on real experience. Prayer from Heart and Faith, here I will tell a story which I read when I was 8 or 9 years old. There were no rains in a particular village for a long time. Drought conditions were imminent. It was decided that everyone will go for prayers together asking God for mercy and rain. On the said day everyone including children went to say prayers. One boy of about 6 carried an umbrella. Everyone laughed at him saying it has not rained for so long and he is fool to carry this. But he just said I am going to request God for rains. After prayers when they all came out, it was raining very heavily. The priest declared that it was due to prayers of that little boy as he had faith and his prayers were from his heart.

    Take care

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  5. Thank you, Jack! Such a lovely surprise and thought from you.

    Oh but I like that story. The little boy already claimed his answered prayer by bringing along his umbrella. That is how we should pray. That is faith... simple faith but can move mountains.

    Thanks for your lovely visit.
    God bless you and your family.

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