Princess Sassy Pants & Co.™

We always put faith in something; when I sit in a chair, I have faith that it will hold me up. My faith isn’t a blind faith; it is based on the many experiences I’ve had sitting in chairs. We can also put faith in the darkness of problems, suffering, and pain. When we’ve experienced a lot of these, it’s hard not to do this, so we need new experiences, light experiences, to learn that there is something else we can have faith in.

To have true faith, we need to have experiences of that light; otherwise, it’s blind faith and more “wishcraft” than faith. We hope and wish the Sun will rise but stay planted in a dark cave where the Sun’s light does us little good. There’s no shame in not yet having direct experiences we can put faith in; we all have to start somewhere. But blind faith can be a hindrance because we can tell ourselves it is enough—that we don’t have to go beyond this to direct experiences.

So how do you have experiences that lead to true faith? At first, you will just be paying lip service to it, but that’s okay. You can start with one simple idea: “Please show me how to see the light that is always shining right here and now. I don’t see this right now and haven’t experienced it yet, but I want to.” Get quiet and listen within often, even for a minute or less. You will be led. You don’t have to already know how to do something that you’ve never done. The Light within you knows the way. Your job is to be willing to listen and follow.

With direct experiences comes faith so that even in the midst of what appears as complete darkness, we can see light, and that light dispels the darkness. If I give the impression this is always easy, don’t believe me; it’s sometimes effortless and other times, it requires everything you have to hold to the light while that darkness seems to close in on you. I do know that darkness cannot stand where light is truly acknowledged and allowed to enter, so every bit of effort in this direction is worth it.