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FAITH AND WHAT IT TAKES

by David Truman

What faith alone can't do

Many people understand that you get what you expect, but some overlook one crucial fact: it takes more than positive expectations to create a beautiful life -- it also takes doing. Even if you expect good things, you must still do what it takes to create beauty and goodness in your life.

Obviously, an athlete needs faith to win the Olympics; but it's silly to believe that anyone could win on faith alone. To win the gold also requires discipline, regular training, a good diet, an excellent coach, etc.

Doing What It Takes ("WITS")

People sometimes wonder, "Does marriage work?" The realistic answer is: Marriage can work -- if the couple gives the relationship What It Takes. Most likely, if you are loving, ego-transcending, caring, loyal, forgiving, and compassionate, marriage will work for you. But what if you are intolerant, impatient, and selfish? Then all bets are off, of course.

So you see, true faith is not blind faith. It would be insane, not faithful, to believe good things will happen when we're not fulfilling the preconditions for them to happen.

Avoiding what it can't take

And sometimes, success depends on what you don't do. For example: A naïve young girl falls in love and gets married, full of hope for a long happy marriage. And why not? She loves him tremendously, and she puts huge energy into the relationship. But...

She also has a serious problem: she indulges in moodiness and self-centeredness. Too often, she loses her temper and insults him terribly. Before long, their joy is lost, and so is the marriage: he leaves her. The break-up was almost inevitable because, while she did what it takes, she also did what it couldn't take -- and sank the ship.

That young bride gets credit for doing many truly positive things. She paid her "DOs." But she also gets credit for being reckless when it came to the DON'Ts. Too many DON'Ts can easily cut a long story short, and spoil an otherwise happy ending.

So: To justify faith, two things:

1. Do What It Takes (have your WITS about you!).

2. Don't do what it can't take.

You've got what it takes to succeed

Rest assured that you -- the person you are -- can succeed. After all, you are God's son or daughter, God's masterpiece. You have been given plenty to work with -- all the essential tools you need: sensitivity, emotion, passion, caring, high standards, Divine knowingness, and more. And to top it all off, you have God to work with. God's love, God's moment-to-moment inner guidance, Divine Wind, constant companionship.

You've got the right stuff! But now, to succeed, you have to use what you have. This, then, is what living faith is: to both faithfully expect success and faithfully invest in its achievement.

Your soul knows what it wants, and truth be told, it also knows quite a bit about What It Takes. So listen to your soul, have faith in its wisdom, and live in a manner that supports your faith. That way, you can't fail.