Beliefs - Life is calling

The subject of belief has repeatedly appeared in my orbit in recent weeks.

I am referring here to what we believe deep down about ourselves, others, life and God.

I have discovered that there are usually at least two layers to this.

The top layer is those beliefs that we profess with our words.

The second, deeper and at times unconscious layer, is what we profess with our actions.

Whilst we may say we believe one thing, our emotions and subsequently our actions will usually expose any discrepancy with what we believe deep down.

These beliefs can also change, particularly in the face of challenging circumstances.

This subject initially came up in relation to my work and the way in which what an individual believes, directly impacts what they feel and thus what they do.

As soon as this was flagged up to me, it started to stand out as I listened to the narrative of various people.

What we believe tends to become our reality.

Or it may be that we become unable to see, let alone take active steps towards something that we do not believe to be possible.

In fact, I was recently challenged to examine my own beliefs regarding a personal situation. As I did so, I realised that a certain set of circumstances had left me particularly vulnerable. The result of which was that my faulty old belief system had effectively been reactivated.

Prior to noticing this, my experience was becoming more and more in line with the expectations associated with my old belief system.

This was not a good thing.

Never underestimate the value of people who will tell you that which you may not want to hear. When true, the sense of liberation usually outweighs the pain.

And, by noticing what is tantamount to a weak spot within my boundaries, I could begin to strengthen this area by addressing the reactivated faulty beliefs about God and myself. I also realised the need to reconsider and readjust certain boundaries for certain situations. I could also understand, legitimise and process the real and valid emotions that accompanied the triggering set of circumstances.

As I reflected on the power of our beliefs to transform our experience for better or worse, I was reminded of the importance of identifying personal weak spots. These are the areas that typically took some kind of major hit during our formative years, consequently leaving us with faulty beliefs about God or self.

We can and must work through the pain of the original experiences that created any faulty beliefs, as well as correcting these beliefs.

But, we still need to recognise that if this vulnerable area takes a big hit, it may reactivate the original faulty beliefs thus highlighting that more work is required to strengthen the weak spots.

This is not dissimilar to when you’ve broken a limb and may subsequently be left with a weak area about which you need to take extra care if not wishing to reactivate the original break.

All of which highlights the need for the ongoing business of knowing thyself as well as knowing thy God.

We must make time to monitor not only what is happening externally within our lives but also what is happening internally in response.

And be willing to re-examine what we believe just in case any untrue, faulty beliefs have snuck in through a weak spot. Left unidentified, these could de-rail us.

Most of all, we must check whether we really believe that God Almighty is still God Almighty irrespective of whatever circumstances stand before us, from the slightly stressful to the life threatening.