To compare faith I imagine it as a sunrise. A calming, in awe moment that I choose each morning when I wake. There is no work that needs to be done when experiencing something that our heart and soul indulges in, this is what I love most. The ease and acceptance in watching something unfold in elegance. I step out and choose to believe in what rises and I accept the truth in what does not.
I’ve experienced people around me in despair because of impatience, lack of result, doubt, anxiety and the simple fact of not knowing how to walk in faith.
Patience is a virtue. Virtue is defined by nobleness of spirit, honesty and purity. Patience is one of the hardest struggles we face, we want and we want now. Imagine that we live a life while creation is happening behind the scenes, something so intangible we have yet to understand. This is how I imagine patience. A process happening and the stillness before the action of soon aligning.
“When you plant seeds in the garden, you don’t dig them up everyday to see if they have sprouted yet. You simply water them and clear away the weeds – you know that the seeds will grow in time. Similarly, just do your daily practice and cultivate a kind heart. Abandon impatience and instead be content creating the causes for goodness; the results will come when they’re ready.” Bhikshuni Chodron
Results are not always immediate. Often times we become frustrated because all of our physical work and determined actions still have us at a distance of what we’re working towards. All the sweat and tears… yet we’re still waiting. Why is this happening? The reasons could be endless. Whether we are working towards something that does not yet have purpose or what we’re working towards isn’t ready for us… We often become comfortable with pain and unsatisfying results that we forget to be vulnerable. There is divine purpose that I believe in that causes people to stress when it could be transformed to overall peace. Trust in this.
Transformation is not always a jaw dropping experience, a surprise or gasp for air. Sometimes transformation happens slowly and sometimes it happens right before our eyes. We can be working on something for so long we forget our reason. We can be taken for a whirlwind and think that everything we thought we wanted is exactly opposite of what we’re presented with. Maybe it will be greater than what we imagined.
There does not need to be doubt in something we have little control over. It is inevitable that we make choices, this is how we survive – but understand that faith alone is promising you overall guidance, growth and destination. Doubting this will make you feel alone, but you are not and you will never be.
Regardless of the time it takes, you will get where you are meant to travel. You will be who you are called to be. As long as you focus on the small transformations and God given joys you will be at peace. There will come a time that you will find you are no longer tense, worried or distraught.
Always have the courage to keep going and when it seems harder than usual, communicate. You will ask God to come into your life. You will live in faith and through trust. You will realize that all the hard work isn’t hard at all. You will not be the one working – Trust in this process. Allow time by understanding you are dealing with a craftsman. There are fine details that need focus and attention – but understand you can relax because God is good. God is working. God is here.
Opening my heart has been one of the most beautiful processes I’ve ever gone through. I am softer than I’ve ever been. I move like wind, becoming light and approachable. I am a river flowing around obstacles, continuing on my way in grace. Not one thing can stop me. I have been planted and I will grow. In the unknowing and the unseen I will trust that I am on my way to blooming. There is no need for worry. Today is the day.
The sunset reminds me of trust. That although the day has come to an end, another beginning is near by. We lay our head and close our eyes knowing that the promise of another day is one sleep away. The next morning the sunrise deserves to be trusted. The day has arrived and so will you. Again and again, dear God I am with you.
-Sadianne Joyce