What do people mean when they say, "Have faith"?

To me, faith means that we believe we are always being guided in the highest good of our soul, even when bad things happen. It means knowing that when difficulties occur, we have not been abandoned by our higher power. It means that, even when we cannot see the light, we know that there is a light at the end of the darkness.

Sometimes it is very hard to have faith.

Our wounded self is always devoted to controlling the outcome of things, so when things do not turn out the way we expected, we tend to feel betrayed or abandoned by God.

"I try so hard to do things right, so why should bad things keep happening? It's not fair. Where is God for me now?"

"I've prayed and prayed and still did not get what I want. So, what's the point of all that prayer?"

The problem is that the wounded self tends to do things “right,” or pray, with an agenda in mind. The thinking of the wounded self is that "If I do things right or pray enough, then I can have control over the outcome of things." The wounded self thinks it knows what is in our highest good, yet it has no idea regarding the highest good of our soul.

Having faith means we trust that our higher self is always guiding us in the highest good of our soul.

It means we remember that we are primarily on a soul journey rather than an earthly one - that we are here to evolve toward love and joy and the full manifestation of our gifts, rather than to control the outcome of things.

It is easy to have faith when everything is going your way. But what happens when things do not turn out the way you hoped? This is the very time when having faith is most important, because without it, you are likely to feel lost, alone, angry, anxious, depressed, or hopeless.

Since our wounded feelings come from the thoughts and beliefs of our wounded self, difficult feelings such as anger, depression, and anxiety may come from thoughts such as, "I am alone in the universe. There is no higher power helping me and watching over me. There is no one in spirit for me to turn to." When you think these thoughts, painful feelings may be the result.

On the other hand, you can remain inwardly peaceful if you choose to think thoughts such as, "Even though I did not get what I want, I know that my spiritual guidance has my highest good at heart. I know that if I stay open to love and truth, I will be guided in the evolution of my soul's journey. Staying in love and joy and seeking truth are more important to me than the outcome of things, so I will continue to keep my heart open to my higher guidance."

Having faith supports us in keeping our frequency high.

A high frequency allows our spiritual guidance to continue to manifest our highest good for us, even when it does not seem like it.

Some indigenous cultures have a concept that may be helpful in having faith. They believe that when we come into a body, only part of our soul enters the body. The rest of our soul remains outside the body and is what these cultures call a "double." Our double - our higher self - is the part of our soul that is here to guide us through our earthly journey. Our higher self holds all the wisdom and experience that our immortal soul has accumulated through eternity. Because our higher self is not limited by the confines of our body, it can see and know things that our mind cannot possibly see and know.

At those times when your mind is quiet and you are open to learning, you can access the wisdom and guidance of your higher self. Then you will know that you are not alone and that you are always being guided toward your highest good. You might want to imagine your higher self as an older, wiser part of you.

The more you practice Inner Bonding, the more experience you will have of your higher self and the more you will be able to have faith when life becomes challenging.

Learn to connect with your spiritual Guidance with Unlocking Your Inner Wisdom, A 30-Day at-home Experience with Dr. Margaret Paul.