I am sure at one time or another you have either been told or told someone to have faith. This is not always an easy task. When the world around you is falling apart it can be difficult to say to yourself, “ In time I’m going to understand why this happened and how it is for my greater good.” The death of a loved one, a marriage falling apart, a loss of job, and the ending of a long time friendship, are just a few of the challenges that many of us face. Often times in the midst of these challenges we don’t have the fortitude to see the growth and the lesson in them. Years down the road we look back with a renewed sense of understanding and gained wisdom. Somehow through these awful times we grow in ways that otherwise we would not have. Whether it be standing up for ourselves or becoming independent, we recognize an inner strength that we did not know was there. Our self esteem, self worth, and self confidence blooms for what may be the first time in our lives. Catching yourself falling victim will be the most difficult thing for you to recognize. It’s easy to receive sympathy from yourself and others. If you can train yourself to catch yourself before you go down that road there is an opportunity here for greatness. One of the ways to do this is to have faith. Having faith is an inner peace and knowingness that all is well in spite of how it may appear. Imagine yourself like a tree, and imagine all your life experiences as nourishment for that tree. You take it in and digest it and absorb it into your roots and take it up and into your limbs. This nourishment then causes you to be supple and able to bend and flow with the challenges in life that are inevitable to everyone who is having a human experience. Begin to view these challenges not as a victim in a negative sense, but as a soul who is expanding and growing because of them. Once you are able to do this you will be filled with an understanding and compassion that is beyond what you may ever have felt you were capable of. No longer will you live in blame and shoulda, woulda, coulda, because you will understand that everyone is doing the same thing, learning. Some people will be hurt and some people will hurt others, but in the end we are all learning and growing from our life lessons. Lose your judgement of who is right and wrong and bring yourself to a higher level of growth and understanding. Know that you are the creator of your life and that you have chosen to take on challenges that would enable you to reach your fullest potential. Have faith in yourself and your ability to overcome any challenges that you may face.