All the gurus of spirituality or self-help say this about the spiritual plane:

Do less, get more.

Pray more, do less, get more.

Have faith, let go, get more.

These are simple equations that none of us seem to trust.

We just have to.

Only the ego asks why. Only the ego wants more or better or different.

We can believe in Good (or God) and still be in a lot of pain…. Like, A LOT. 

Life, it turns out, doesn’t have to be that hard. Who knew? 

A weighty topic, to be sure.

The one thing about seekers, such as ourselves, is that sometimes we don’t even know what we’re looking for. Sometimes, it becomes about the search, rather than the finding.

I realized actual faith is about surrender, just as all the sages warn us. It’s about trust, genuine love, and commitment. I can’t keep asking for things and disliking them. I just want to love what I am given and trust in the path completely. 

Get out your popcorn, boys and girls (and everyone in between), because life becomes a lot more interesting when we humor God (or Good) enough to just pay attention and do whatever we’re told. 

I’d like to say that building faith is one big exercise in “we’re in this together!” But unfortunately, we are… definitely. NOT.

I believe there were signs I missed, sent by Good (or God) to warn me along my path, and I ignored them. I got bitten in the BLEEP by my own hubris and my own fantasies, and I’m pretty sure God (or Good) was doing the biting.

The real question is what would happen if we got attached to God (or Good) instead?

My journey in faith has kind of been BLEEPING hilarious. I’m not a snake oil salesman or a complete and utter nutball, and I am by no means perfect. This is sort of like reading about someone getting their BLEEP together in real time. I give y’all credit for sticking with me. 

Try to think of it this way: short-term prayers are like ordering off the menu at a fast food drive-thru. Long-term prayers are like going to a five-star restaurant and asking the chef to surprise you. One is going to satisfy your needs in the moment, the other is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Neither is wrong or bad, but they are different. 

Many of us struggle with having faith that we deserve all the good things, which is why I advocate for starting small. I believe the smallest, but most important step a person can take in a journey with faith is prayer. It’s so simple, it’s so easy, but we all struggle to do it because we think belief has to come first. In my experience, it’s just the opposite.

My framework for life used to be built on anger, cynicism, fear, and probably bitterness. Now, more often than not, it is based in faith, hope, and a belief in a basic Good (or God) that will work for me if I work with it. 

Finding a good therapist and connecting with faith in Good (or God) have been a real blessing in helping me connect with my emotional, authentic self. This, in turn, has made me feel stronger, better, more in control, and better equipped for the trials and tribulations that lie ahead. Five stars, highly recommend.

Life is hard, people say. That is absolutely true, particularly because humanity likes to make everything more complicated.

Faith, to me, is the opposite of anxiety. It is the opposite of Oh no! What’s going to happen now?!

It is the calm before, in the eye of, and after the storm. It is acceptance of whatever is, and will be, and has been, and the search for the joy or lesson in all of it.

None of us are going to be the LeBron James of having faith if we do not practice, practice, practice. Lord knows we’ve spent lifetimes committed to being negative, what would happen if we practice for the same game in a different way?