Faith and Belief: Faith Has The Power To Change Your Life  

By TGL Iyer  

Faith and Belief: Faith Has The Power To Change Your Life  

Walt Disney died months before the much-awaited opening of his second theme park at Florida, USA. At the opening ceremony, someone said to Roy Disney, Walt Disney's brother: "It is a shame that your brother did not live to see this." Roy replied: "Oh, yes, he saw it; that is why it is here."

Sir Edmund Hillary became the first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest - but only after failing several times. After one failure, he shook his fist at the mountain and said: "You have defeated me, but I will return and I will defeat you, because you can't get any bigger, but I can." And he did in 1953. If you want to be bigger, better and bolder, you need to have faith.

Jesus was a great healer. His faith was such that he could even raise the dead. The Bible (Mark 5) records one of Jesus's most memorable healing incidents. A woman who suffered from severe haemorrhaging had tried all conventional healing methods with no success. She believed that if she could just touch the hem of Jesus's garment, she would be healed.

She followed Jesus, touched Him and got well. When it happened, Jesus turned around and asked "Who touched me?" No one came forward. Peter who was accompanying Jesus wondered why he should ask such a question when he was surrounded by a big crowd. But Jesus said, "It was someone who deliberately touched me... I felt the healing power go out from me!" (Luke 8:45-46).

American diplomat and Hollywood child-star Shirley Temple Black once narrated an incident about her husband Charles and his mother. When Charles was a boy, he asked his mother what was the happiest moment in her life. His mother replied "This moment, right now." Charles asked further: "But what about all the other happy moments in your life, say, when you were married?" His mother replied: "My happiest moment then was then. My happiest moment now is now. You can really live only in the moment you are in. And that requires unflinching faith."

Great teachers like Jesus, Buddha, Ramakrishna and Vivekananda derived their strength and inspiration not from muscle, mind or intellect but from faith. That is why, they spoke a language that went straight to the hearts of people.

Experience strengthens faith. There is the story of a happy husband and wife in a small town. The wife was cooking and the husband was watching. She was preparing his favourite dish and everything was ready.

The time had come to add salt to the curry. From the container, she picked up some salt and put it in the curry. She looked at the preparation and was not satisfied. She took some more salt but after some thought she put it back in the container. They sat down to eat and the husband complimented her: "It is excellent but tell me, why did you put back the salt in the container the second time?" She said: " Anubhava : Experience."

Those who have faith experience God. They don't see Him; they feel His presence, sometimes through a spiritual teacher. Shankaracharya in his Guru Vandana says: "I salute the guru, who by applying the collyrium of wisdom to the eyes of one suffering from the myopia of spiritual blindness, opens his eyes to light and truth".

A folk song says: "Thank God for unanswered prayers. Therefore, grow as you need to be a stronger person. When you continue to grow in faith, great things are going to happen and when they do, you need strength to bear it. Faith will make you stronger".

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More from same author see: TGL Iyer  

See also: Faith and Belief, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)