Importance of Faith and the Reasons Why Faith Holds a Significant Value in Our Lives
The transition of mankind in the modern age is marked by scientific knowledge giving less room to faith. It is a common belief that faith and science are mutually exclusive. In simple words, the two cannot exist at the same time. However, it is not the case for everyone. Both science and faith have a lot of room to fit other things and explain the connection. But more study in the area is required. Furthermore, faith is a universal phenomenon. It differs from individual to individual. Therefore, the importance of faith is varied for everyone. It cannot be measured using the same scale. Many people link faith with a specific religion(s) but it is quite the opposite. Faith is not specific to religion or a certain lifestyle. Therefore, it is important to understand the definition of faith before ascertaining anything regarding it.
Having faith is not a foreign or surreal concept. Humans believe in themselves and the world to live their lives. For example, it is the faith that humans have in technology when they travel miles in an airplane, without hesitation. It makes the journey easy. On the other hand, the same journey becomes difficult for people with the fear of flights. Humans need to include a little faith in their lives to make it easier.
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What is Faith anyway?
The term faith is derived from the Latin word fides meaning ‘loyalty’, ‘trust’, or ‘fidelity’. Its origin lies in the diety Fides (goddess of faith) in Roman mythology. In simple words, faith means having trust and assurance in someone or something. Because many religions, in the past and present, using the word in the context of having to trust in God. Therefore, the word is mainly associated with a religious context. Religions like Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and others have preached to have faith in God at various points. However, faith can be taken into a variety of contexts. For example, having trust in oneself, in others, or anything.
Regardless one chooses to have faith in God, people, the world, or oneself, the bottom line is to continue believing in something. Often when humans lose all chances to get things right or drag themselves out of difficulty, it is faith that helps them to hang on to hope. This indicates the importance of faith in our lives.
Faith in Life
Sometimes, humans are unaware of the importance of faith in their lives. Faith influences many areas of our lives. Therefore, it is important to discuss the reasons why faith holds a significant value in our lives.
Boost Self-confidence
As discussed earlier, faith comes in many forms: on others, in oneself, and God. Each form holds a different and significant value. Similarly, the benefits are also important. Importance of faith one oneself is important for a person’s growth. When one starts to believe in oneself and abilities, it boosts self-confidence. By taking confidence in one’s abilities, individuals grow on a personal and professional level. Therefore, it is often said to have faith in oneself and one’s abilities.
Instill Positivity
The presence of faith either in oneself, the world, or God proves to be essential for developing and maintaining positivity in life. Faith prevents people from going completely hopeless. The reason being that individuals know that a superior force is looking out for them or they can trust themselves in every difficulty. It acts as a ray of hope amid the darkness. This hope – though minimal – keeps the people optimistic.
Source of Motivation
When there is hope there is a way. The hope and optimism that comes from having faith or assurance provide the international motivation to keep going. Performing tasks – whether big or small – require motivation from within the individual. The motivation for moving forward often dies when there is no hope. On the contrary, faith breeds hope, and hope motivates individuals to live and perform their daily life tasks. This is the importance of faith in our daily lives.
Gives Meaning to Life
The presence of faith gives meaning to life. Humans beings spend their whole life searching for its meaning of life in material things and worldly matters. Although there is nothing wrong with looking for life’s meaning in material objects. Every individual is different and has the right to choose for themselves without fitting into a standard mold. However, when humans attach their whole life’s meaning to worldly objects, it fades away when the object is lost or broken. Contrary to this, believing in oneself or God gives a sense of groundedness to an individual.
Importance of Faith in God
The concept of God has been present in human civilizations for as long as we can recall history. There may be differences in praying to God but the faith in having a superior power who looks after the universe is present in every religion. Many religions i.e. Hinduism, ancient Greek, and Roman religions believed in many gods. However, they also believed in one power superior to other gods. This faith in God holds significant value to many people.
Achieving God’s Approval
The aim to achieve God’s approval exists in every religion. People perform rituals, prayers, and serve mankind to achieve God’s approval. For any of these deeds to be accepted, there should be faith in the presence of God. In Quran, it is mentioned many times to believe in Allah or have faith in Him. Similarly, Hebrew asks the believers to trust God if they want their deeds to be accepted. This shows that having faith in God is necessary for achieving His approval.
Faith Provides Strength
Life is full of difficulties and suffering. In difficult times faith provides us strength to face the difficulties and wait for the blessings in the end. The assurance that a superior power that is God is looking after us and will reward us with good things is a great source of strength. Prophet Jonah had faith in God while he spent years inside a fish to seek forgiveness. This faith led him to see the land again. Similarly, Prophet Joseph had faith in God that provided him with strength to bear all the hardships. As a result, led him to meet his father. There are numerious incidents of Prophets in many religions that give the importance of faith as a source of strength.
Faith Let us See the Bigger Picture of Life
The importance of faith in God helps humans to see the bigger picture of life. Humans are often caught in caught up in worldly matters i.e. making money, getting a job, worrying about the future, etc. This leads humans to neglect themselves and focus entirely on material needs. On the other hand, having faith in God lets us focus on ourselves, our spiritual needs, and psychological needs. Humans realize that there is more to life. Many people who realize this continue their lives in the service of mankind and the healing of their souls. Many religions refer this concept to prepare humans for the day of judgment or resurrection.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the term faith is not only reserved for any specific religion. It refers to humans’ need to have faith in themselves, humanity, the world, God, or anything. No matter what one’s faith is, it mostly provides a great sense of satisfaction and peace. Every kind of faith has its own benefits. Where believing in oneself boosts self-esteem, similarly, faith in God leads humans to understand the bigger picture of life. It is faith that leads humans to carry on with their life. When we sit in a car, we have faith that the car will drive us to our destination. This means that the presence of faith is not exclusive to religions only. Humans’ lives are revolving around the concept of faith in various forms. The importance of faith in our everyday lives is similar to the importance of faith in religions. Therefore, we need to start believing in ourselves as well as believing in God to achieve life’s goals.