Wikipedia’s explanation of faith begins with this line: “Faith is belief in an idea that is unsupported or contradicted by evidence … largely reserved for concepts of religion.”
Humbug. That’s not faith, that’s stupidity.
Faith is not something for weak minds or emotional morons. True faith engages the mind, emotions and will for a confident anticipation of advantage.
First of all, for there to be real faith, the mind must be engaged. Real faith is founded on facts first. Blind faith (what Wikipedia’s writers were describing) is not concerned with reality, fact or truth. Blind faith says, “My mind is made up; don’t confuse me with the facts.” Real faith wants the facts, seeks the truth and advances forward from there. Faith without some foundation in fact is only fantasy.
Next, for there to be real faith, the emotions must be involved. There is no faith without feelings. The emotional expression of faith in religious worship is an important part of the experience. For two people to agree to be joined together in marriage is an act of faith that requires significant emotional devotion to persevere through good times and bad, health and sickness, etc. For an entrepreneur to take his life’s savings and risk it on a business venture requires a belief in the viability of his business plan and his own personal skills, despite the lack of any solid guarantee of profit. But to rely strictly on emotions for decisions related to religion, relationships, business or life in general is to surrender logic or truth to the whims of sensation. On the other hand to deny emotions any contribution to daily living is to live without passion and die without love.
And finally, for there to be real faith, the will must be involved. You can know something (mind) and you can feel something (emotion), but unless you do something (action), what you know and what you feel will rot away in a neglected corner of your mind and heart. Many people, afraid to act on what they know and feel, live lives of bitterness and regret. They spend their days wondering what would have happened if they would have only … (fill in the blank). Faith happens when what you know and what you feel are balanced with a brave move forward.
There are two roads that lead you into tomorrow: one is the road of doubt and despair and the other is the road of faith and hope. Which will you take? You, my dear friend, will find great fulfillment and personal success when your head, your heart and your will, in grand agreement, decide to take a risk and step into tomorrow by faith.
