3-Part Faith
The First Step to Courage
Fear is a natural human response to the unknown. We all experience it, and it’s challenging to get through fear when it comes up in our lives. But in order to get to the other side of it and to live free, fulfilling lives, we must continue to walk forward and confront the things that we are afraid of. This takes courage, and sometimes it takes a lot of it.
Having courage is not the absence of fear, it’s experiencing the fear and walking through it. We build courage as a result of stepping into and through the fear, and then we become even bolder in the face of our next challenge. But how do we take that first step into fear before we’ve built the courage to do so? We call on faith.
Faith is a strong belief, trust, and confidence in someone or something. Having faith gives someone the ability to face the unknown. Faith is something that we practice, just like anything else in life. It gets stronger the more you use it, and the more you develop your faith, your courage builds from walking through fear.
The 3 Types of Faith
Throughout my life experiences, it came to me that there are 3 main types of faith that one needs in order to truly feel confident and secure in the face of fear. We’ll go over each of these three, which include faith in self, faith in a power greater than self, and faith in others that support you.
Faith in Self
Ultimately, you’re living life through your lens. You’re the one breathing, walking, talking, and experiencing all that life has to offer. Because of this, we start with faith in self. You need to believe in yourself in order to keep moving forward with conviction. Faith in self is necessary, but it alone is not sufficient. This brings us to the next type of faith.
Faith in a Power Greater Than Self
Whether it be God, Spirit, or the Universe, faith in a higher power gives us a sense of connection, protection, and reflection (See my blog on The CPR of Prayer). With the benefits of prayer and faith in a higher power, we are lifted even higher in our ability to face new challenges and build courage through (often difficult) action.
Faith in Those That Support You
Some of us have very large social circles with hundreds, and even thousands of acquaintances, friends, family, and Loved ones. Some of us have very small social circles, with maybe only 1, or 2, or even 10 people that they really consider to be a part of their life. No matter how large or small your greater social circle may be, faith in those that offer you support is really about your innermost circle of trust (See my blog on building trust and intimacy). This is the 1, 2, 5, or maybe even 10 people who you care deeply about and who care deeply about you.
This is the community aspect of faith. We need to have faith that we have others in this world who we can trust and rely upon, and who trust and rely upon us. Such faith is reassuring and helps us to not feel alone. Humans are social creatures, and we are meant to share our triumphs, our struggles, and our passions with others. Faith in those who support you completes the 3-Part Faith and locks in a feeling of strength and assurance in trying times.
Keeping the Faith
As I mentioned, and as you may already know, keeping the faith isn’t always easy. It takes practice and discipline, and it’s something we must keep coming back to. When doubt sneaks in, we simply go back to our faith in self, faith in a power greater than self, and faith in others that support us. We come back to the memories of our own success, the times when we felt protected by a higher power, and the times with others that have supported us.
With this 3-Part Faith intact, there is no challenge too big and no fear too scary for us to walk through. Keep the faith, and you’ll build the courage you need to face anything life hands you.
Much Love,
Noel Neu