What is the meaning of faith?
Serenity and Spiritual Beauty
Beauty comes with self acceptance, self love and self awareness. Self knowledge is equivalent to truth which brings serenity and spiritual beauty.
How fantastic is that?
Terry Norrington
www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com
www.cryinthedark.org
Showing posts with label world peace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label world peace. Show all posts
Monday, 16 November 2009
Monday, 26 October 2009
Knock Knock
What is the meaning of faith?
How can we measure true faith?
How can we tell when our faith in god is truly justified?
When the chips are down and we our facing real adversity and our situation seems completely hopeless do we turn to god?
There will be many times in our lives when doors keep shutting in front of us. The dreaded “no” keeps being thrown in our face when we go knocking on those doors. Somehow we still believe in our ideas but it seems impossible to get anybody else to be interested. This is the moment that the really strong will switch into overdrive. The tough keep going.
There are so many examples in history of successful people who have found the going sticky at times. Just about every single successful person did not start out being successful. They had to endure hardship and persevered in the project that they believed in. They kept knocking on doors because they never knew whether that next door might be the one that led to the road of success. They continued with hope and faith. Thomas Edison tried nearly one thousand different patents before he finally created the model light bulb that worked. Each one that did not work wasn’t considered a failure but more of a learning curve. He learned that that one wasn’t the correct way and he was one step closer to finding the right way.
A tremendously positive example of focussing on the solution, not the problem.
So how can one stay strong during extreme times of adversity?
One way is to have faith in God. By turning to God and asking him for guidance he will listen to our prayers and provide us with answers. And sometimes the answer lies in a completely different format to what we expected. There can be no greater example of this than that of “The Virgin Birth”.
Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem with Mary just about ready to give birth. Mary knew that she was giving birth to God’s child but did he have to make life so difficult? Did that census have to come right now?
They knocked on door after door only to be told that there was no room at the inn. But they had faith in God. So they kept trying and eventually they were given shelter in a stable. Jesus was born in that stable.
Now the obvious answer to their dilemma would have been for God to have found a spare room in one of the inns. A room with a comfortable bed. But it was extremely fortuitous that they ended up in that stable. Firstly, the inn keepers would have been obliged to have provided them with a room each as men and women weren’t allowed to share rooms in those days. Joseph, being Mary’s only travelling companion would have missed out at being present at the birth. Secondly all those visitors they had wouldn’t have been able to find them and they wouldn’t have gone home loaded up with Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.
Mary and Joseph’s faith in God eventually provided them with a solution to their problem, even though it was in the most unexpected of ways.
Likewise for all of us, in the mitts of adversity we can turn in faith and hope to God to gain our strength. Strength to see us through to the bitter end. But don’t be surprised if his ideas are somewhat different to our own.
How fantastic is that?
Terry Norrington
www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com
www.cryinthedark.org
How can we measure true faith?
How can we tell when our faith in god is truly justified?
When the chips are down and we our facing real adversity and our situation seems completely hopeless do we turn to god?
There will be many times in our lives when doors keep shutting in front of us. The dreaded “no” keeps being thrown in our face when we go knocking on those doors. Somehow we still believe in our ideas but it seems impossible to get anybody else to be interested. This is the moment that the really strong will switch into overdrive. The tough keep going.
There are so many examples in history of successful people who have found the going sticky at times. Just about every single successful person did not start out being successful. They had to endure hardship and persevered in the project that they believed in. They kept knocking on doors because they never knew whether that next door might be the one that led to the road of success. They continued with hope and faith. Thomas Edison tried nearly one thousand different patents before he finally created the model light bulb that worked. Each one that did not work wasn’t considered a failure but more of a learning curve. He learned that that one wasn’t the correct way and he was one step closer to finding the right way.
A tremendously positive example of focussing on the solution, not the problem.
So how can one stay strong during extreme times of adversity?
One way is to have faith in God. By turning to God and asking him for guidance he will listen to our prayers and provide us with answers. And sometimes the answer lies in a completely different format to what we expected. There can be no greater example of this than that of “The Virgin Birth”.
Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem with Mary just about ready to give birth. Mary knew that she was giving birth to God’s child but did he have to make life so difficult? Did that census have to come right now?
They knocked on door after door only to be told that there was no room at the inn. But they had faith in God. So they kept trying and eventually they were given shelter in a stable. Jesus was born in that stable.
Now the obvious answer to their dilemma would have been for God to have found a spare room in one of the inns. A room with a comfortable bed. But it was extremely fortuitous that they ended up in that stable. Firstly, the inn keepers would have been obliged to have provided them with a room each as men and women weren’t allowed to share rooms in those days. Joseph, being Mary’s only travelling companion would have missed out at being present at the birth. Secondly all those visitors they had wouldn’t have been able to find them and they wouldn’t have gone home loaded up with Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.
Mary and Joseph’s faith in God eventually provided them with a solution to their problem, even though it was in the most unexpected of ways.
Likewise for all of us, in the mitts of adversity we can turn in faith and hope to God to gain our strength. Strength to see us through to the bitter end. But don’t be surprised if his ideas are somewhat different to our own.
How fantastic is that?
Terry Norrington
www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com
www.cryinthedark.org
Friday, 23 October 2009
World Peace
What is the meaning of faith?
One of the comments that frustrate me, and I heard it said just the other day, is that religion is the cause of so many wars and problems in the world.
Whilst on the surface this may appear true, it is my argument that it is not religions that are the cause of these problems but people. Wars and terrorist attacks are created by people in the name of religion. These are people with fundamentalist views, intolerant to how anybody else thinks, unmoved but what others believe in.
Any study into the main religions of the world will reveal the peaceful qualities of these religions. Correct following of the words of God, whether it be through the bible, the Qur’an or any other gospel should provide us with the laws to follow harmonious existences with each other. Religions actively promote peace and anybody who commits atrocities in the name of religion in my view has totally missed the point.
It maybe that some people are intent on causing trouble and latch onto religion to justify their actions. This is not the fault of religion or faith; more the result of disturbed minds.
Whilst I consider myself a Christian and feel very comfortable practicing my faith through an Anglican church, I have come to appreciate the fact that everybody has the right to worship the lord in which ever manner they feel most at ease with. Whichever way we practice our faith, there is one undisputable fact; we all recognise that there is a creator. Whatever name we give him, whatever images we have in our heads as to how he may appear, we all have that one common link; a belief and faith in our creator.
This should be the link between us all, the bond that draws us all together. A healthy respect towards each other, a tolerance of faith, race and culture should and can result in world peace if everybody can be of the same mind.
There are other issues with immigration that make it difficult to accept mass migration into different countries. Over population and financial burdens render it difficult to accommodate everybody into any one area. Also, unfortunately, history shows that different ethnic groups cannot live in harmony with their neighbour.
But why not?
Why can’t different tribes, races and religions co-exist next door to each other?
Why does there have to be “no-go” areas?
With tolerance it should be more than possible to love thy neighbour whatever their colour of skin, no matter the way they decide to follow their faith. It’s not rocket science, it just takes the will of the people to live peaceful lives.
How fantastic is that?
Terry Norrington
http://www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com
One of the comments that frustrate me, and I heard it said just the other day, is that religion is the cause of so many wars and problems in the world.
Whilst on the surface this may appear true, it is my argument that it is not religions that are the cause of these problems but people. Wars and terrorist attacks are created by people in the name of religion. These are people with fundamentalist views, intolerant to how anybody else thinks, unmoved but what others believe in.
Any study into the main religions of the world will reveal the peaceful qualities of these religions. Correct following of the words of God, whether it be through the bible, the Qur’an or any other gospel should provide us with the laws to follow harmonious existences with each other. Religions actively promote peace and anybody who commits atrocities in the name of religion in my view has totally missed the point.
It maybe that some people are intent on causing trouble and latch onto religion to justify their actions. This is not the fault of religion or faith; more the result of disturbed minds.
Whilst I consider myself a Christian and feel very comfortable practicing my faith through an Anglican church, I have come to appreciate the fact that everybody has the right to worship the lord in which ever manner they feel most at ease with. Whichever way we practice our faith, there is one undisputable fact; we all recognise that there is a creator. Whatever name we give him, whatever images we have in our heads as to how he may appear, we all have that one common link; a belief and faith in our creator.
This should be the link between us all, the bond that draws us all together. A healthy respect towards each other, a tolerance of faith, race and culture should and can result in world peace if everybody can be of the same mind.
There are other issues with immigration that make it difficult to accept mass migration into different countries. Over population and financial burdens render it difficult to accommodate everybody into any one area. Also, unfortunately, history shows that different ethnic groups cannot live in harmony with their neighbour.
But why not?
Why can’t different tribes, races and religions co-exist next door to each other?
Why does there have to be “no-go” areas?
With tolerance it should be more than possible to love thy neighbour whatever their colour of skin, no matter the way they decide to follow their faith. It’s not rocket science, it just takes the will of the people to live peaceful lives.
How fantastic is that?
Terry Norrington
http://www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com
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