Faith. Believer. Spiritual.
What do these words mean to you? Are you thinking about religion, Christianity, God, or a higher power? Maybe they remind you of someone you know that talks about these words or maybe you have had an experience that “brings you to your knees” that altered your life.
Faith to me means you go with your intuition, you follow a path, a thought, or a notion that it will turn out to be the right choice for you at that time. It’s believing in something that you can’t touch or maybe not even fully understand, but you know it’s true.
Believer, a person who has a set of values in something whether it’s God, Buddha, god/goddess, a shaman or another higher power. However, it also means that they are confident enough in themselves and their faith, their trust in their volition to act on something to change or create a change in the world. I believe that you can be a “believer” in many ideas and things, and your beliefs will change as you grow and experience more in life and meet other people.
Spiritual is what I believe I am, even moreso than being a churchgoer because spirituality extends beyond what we have been taught to believe as well as faith. Spirituality means that a person can believe in many things and ideas and faiths or religions. Here’s an example, I am a member of a certain religion, but I am also a student of other faiths like Native American (many of my ancestors), Wiccan and Pagan (influences of friends and personal experiences – both of which have to deal with honoring the earth), astrology and Chinese influences (spent many months in Asia) as well as Mormon (I am a direct descendant of one of its first leaders).
I know what you’re thinking, “Wow! That’s a jumble of beliefs, many of which contradict each other.” However, if you think back to your roots…I mean all the way back to the beginning of the country where you live or where you’re from…your people came with a definite set of values, but also wanted some freedom to change and adopt other values. So it is true with me, and many of you as well.
My son does not attend church with me on a regular basis because I am giving him the freedom to choose where, when and what he wants to believe in. I didn’t have that choice until I was much older – I was a wanderer across many types of religions and practices, but I did return to my beginnings, and with a renewed sense of faith, belief and it has enhanced my own sense of spirituality.
What are your thoughts? Do you embrace one set of values, or do you have a variety of faiths and beliefs? I’d like to hear your opinions.
