Indigo: Learning to let go
What does your faith mean to you? Can you physicalize it in words or images on a page? Pulling it from the depths of your being and sharing it with the world is no easy task. But that is the task at hand, and all we can do is try.
Over the course of this project I have spent a great deal of time thinking about the concept of faith…about the great many things that keep me going, that color my world, make the great and small challenges of life not only bearable, but indispensable.
Yesterday I was talking to someone about hardship, and personal growth. Speaking as two people who have lived through more than her fair share of hard times, we were discussing the innate predilection towards harboring bitterness, of carrying all your hard times around with you, a constant reminder of the unfairness of life and the ways in which you have been wronged.
Part of what keeps me going is learning to let go. For years, I nurtured my sadness and anger like William Blake’s Poison Tree. Watering it with fears and sadness, it grew until I could not see from under its branches. But unlike the tree in Blake’s poem, the tree whose apple kills the author’s foe, my tree of bitterness and cynicism was harming was harming myself and the people I loved most. And so I am learning to let it go.
In this regard, I have faith in the idea that all experiences in life– positive and negative – can be turned towards a greater positive end. Hard times are opportunities for learning, growing, gaining strength and depth, moving forward. Good times are opportunities for giving thanks, giving back, sharing your good fortune with others. Always moving forward. I cannot change what has happened in the past, my own actions or those of others – but I can choose how those things will affect me and my world in the future.
I have faith that the universe works itself out. That if you put in the hard work on your end, use the hard times to grow and the good times to share – if you truly believe that you can accomplish your dreams and you work towards living those dreams every minute of every day – then you have the ability to create your own reality, to bring your hopes & dreams into fruition, to reach out and seize your day. I have faith that in doing so, you have the opportunity – and the responsibility – to help those around you find a way to embrace their own.
The universe works itself out, if you are willing to put the work in – but not in the ways that we expect. Life is a series of questions to be asked. There are no finite answers –instead, we are faced with a plethora of possible paths, each with its own unique set of hills, valleys, times and places of shadow and sun. The beauty of existing is in embracing the uncertainties, nurturing the sense of wonder at the universe that we too often lose as we gain in age, knowledge and experience. I believe that wisdom and faith lies in finding the answers that work for you, at any given moment in time and space, and in moving on to others as your personal path unfurls.
Yes, life is unfair, life is uncertain, life is difficult. But it is also filled with beauty and mystery and even within the darkness there is light. And for me, faith is learning from the sadness, letting the fear pass over me and through me and leaving it behind me as I move forward – footsteps dancing, fingertips trailing, spirit filled with the depth and breath of my experience, shining with wonder and love and everpresent light.
“We all start out knowing magic. We are born with whirlwinds, forest fires, and comets inside us. We are born able to sing to birds and read the clouds and see our destiny in grains of sand. But then we get the magic educated right out of our souls.” – Robert R. McGammon
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Indigo. Indigo said: @PaintYourFaith new blog post from yours truly – learning to let go. faith and the universe, light within shadow…. http://ow.ly/1viP5 [...]
The ability to accept and learning to let go are two very challenging task.
Nice post. To me, faith is belief without facts or physical evidence. Faith much more than only a religious idea, it’s stronger than that.
We all have faith, the real question is to what degree? Don’t believe me, think about htis, do you drive? If you drive down the highway then you have faith that the oncoming cars will stay on their side of the road. LOL
Bahahaha, very true
Life is a journey from ignorance and imaturity to learning and growth.
For me, as a Christian, faith is the trust I have in God… That he will protect me and my family if I do good and trust
You’re right Indigo, you have quite a task ahead of you if you are going to be materializing what faith means to you on this wall. I can’t wait to see it though, good luck!
What does that mean?
From the Bible (at least my interpretation) “faith” basically means total trust and complete confidence in God and his promises.
That’s an awesome shot of the DTES community garden – two thumbs up! So beautiful, but why does it make me sad?
Think about this, life is unfair, life is fair…life is what you make it.
Excellent, I agree exactly! Faith itself isn’t good or bad, it’s what people do with it.
i think that the most interesting thing about this theme is that there can so many different variations and interpretations…from the religious to the spiritual to the practical, like having faith that oncoming traffic will keep to its proper lane
I do have quite a task ahead of me. Still working through a mountain of stencil prep. Looking forward to the day we start painting, very much.
thanks for your comments, everyone!
Faith isn’t about letting go for me….It’s about embracing all of the past …..the rich tapestry that has created the me that I am today…Even through pain…especially through pain, I have endured…I have come through and…. I am. Joy and happiness are the bright colours….I am more than bright colours…I am splash painted with all the colours of the wind….
Without faith it is impossible to please God.
Faith secures for man the approval of God.
The apostle Paul wrote: “Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld.” (Hebrews 11:1)
Faith is a membership to a pyramid scheme that empty your saving $$$ ;-p
If you have faith then anything is possible. It saved my life a few years back and I thank zGod. Faith cannot be explained or justified, it seems rediculous, but there is power that we have yet to fully understand. And I’m not married to the religious side of this debate – either way we can all feel the energy…
For anyone who questions the idea of fairness, read ‘chaos theory’. Everything happens for a reason, knowing this is gives me some much needed peace.
“I have faith that the universe works itself out.” – I couldn’t agree more.
Aweomse post – thanks
This has been a very inspiring read indeed, thanks to all for the discussion as well!
i think that the most interesting thing about this theme is that there can so many different variations and interpretations…from the religious to the spiritual to the practical, like having faith that oncoming traffic will keep to its proper lane
I do have quite a task ahead of me. Still working through a mountain of stencil prep. Looking forward to the day we start painting, very much.
thanks for your comments, everyone!
Aweomse post – thanks