Yeshua replied, 'Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.' (Matthew 21:21)
One of the hardest yet most important aspects of impact work has always been maintaining faith. There's a real art to pushing onward, striving for virtue, even when the outcome is uncertain. In this line of work, uncertainty is a given; the world is unpredictable, and outcomes are often beyond our control.
My faith, the faith I have in the Creator, teaches me that it is not up to me to determine outcomes. It's up to Him. All I can do is try my best, surrender to the divine flow, and be obedient.
At times, this can be hard to accept. We may have brilliant dreams of the impact we want to make. But there's no guarantee these dreams will come to fruition. Having faith is a challenging practice.
This concept of faith is especially poignant for me as I live with aphantasia, meaning I don't have a "mind's eye." Unlike some of my friends who have vivid visions of the future, or receive messages from the divine, I can't visualize or hear anything in my imagination. I don't experience that heightened sense of spiritual connection that they do.
Despite my aphantasia, I've witnessed miracles. I've even been part of a healing miracle, perhaps a divine compensation for my inability to 'see' or 'hear' with my mind. And with self-awareness, I've come to appreciate the miraculous nature of my own life journey, even the parts that felt painful at the time.
There are those who choose to ignore life's miracles because it doesn't fit into their understanding of the world, or perhaps, it's too difficult to accept. For me, it's harder to believe that everything is just a cosmic accident, that we're merely inhabitants of a cold, brutal universe.
We've been gifted with consciousness, with freewill. And we do not have to obey a higher moral code, but we ought to. Doing so acknowledges and accepts the presence of a Creator, even if we can't fully comprehend it. I believe that living in alignment with virtues that the Creator would be proud of will ultimately lead to rewards.
It's crucial to remember that no one can guarantee these rewards. That's where faith becomes imperative. The inability to guarantee a specific outcome isn't an argument against faith. It's the very reason why faith is necessary.
Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. (John 20:29)
Despite the uncertainties, despite the unknowns, I believe in living the highest virtue I know, in doing the most good I can do. Whether or not the world rewards that, it's not within my control. What is within my control is to have faith, to believe that my efforts will have a meaningful impact.
So, even though I can't predict the future or hear divine messages, I have faith. All I can do is live by my virtues, try my best, and trust that it will make a difference. And for me, that's enough.
Even in the face of uncertainty, there's something incredibly empowering about living without regret, about knowing that you've done all you can to bring about a better world.