Faith or Works

Faith or Works

Dr. Linda Hancock

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Hancock has written a regular weekly column entitled “All Psyched Up” for newspapers in two Canadian provinces for more than a dozen years. Over the years, her readers and clients have said that they have benefited from her common-sense solutions, wisdom, and sense of humour. Dr. Linda Hancock, the author of “Life is An Adventure…every step of the way” and “Open for Business Success” is a Registered Psychologist who has a private practice in Medicine Hat. She can be reached at 403-529-6877 or through email office@drlindahancock.com

Published

October 28 2024

Ancient scriptures state: “Faith without works is dead” but this doesn’t tell the whole story.

There is a time for faith and a time for works.

According to the online Oxford dictionary, faith is “complete trust or confidence in someone or something”. Many times in my life I have had faith when no one else shared that stance. Sometimes it was because I had seen patterns repeat over and over again which gave me a clue about what would likely happen.

I remember entering a popular store years ago and hearing the owner announce to the customers that I was the best therapist ever. She stated that on our first meeting she had only been in my office for a few short minutes when I asked her “Who is the alcoholic in your life?” She was astounded that I was able to ask a question that had meaning for her as it applied to her life. I just knew from the way that she acted and the things she said that she had been around alcoholics. You see, I had treated many clients with the same mannerisms in the past.

Malcolm Gladwell has written several interesting books but my favourite is “Blink”. He explains how this ability is found in many settings.

Faith is also having the assurance that you have done your best so that all the pieces are in place for positive results. It is like planting corn seeds in good soil under prime growing conditions. You just know that a crop will be harvested in time.

Many people have a spiritual faith that trusts the outcomes of life to someone who is bigger and more powerful.

Some just adopt a stance of faith without anything to support it. They state that they just have “nigglies” or intuition that gives them peace.

Works or action are also an importance part of life. Those who never put any effort into their situation are frequently disappointed. Even though others might take care of them for a period of time, they usually end up finding out that those who help at the beginning end up being tired, disappointed and resentful.

Author Napolean Hill wrote: “A goal is a dream with a deadline”. This statement implies that we need to dream but also invest so that it is realized by a stated date.

All of us need both faith and works. Life is about having dreams, believing in something of value and enjoying the rewards of success.

This week, work on a simple exercise. Draw a vertical line down the middle of a blank sheet of paper. On the left side write a dream that you would like to grasp. On the right-hand side of the paper, in point form, start writing out the steps that would be needed to see the dream realized.

Now, at the top of the page write “My goal is to reach this dream by (enter a date)”.

Finally, pretend that you are in the kitchen creating a new recipe. Take one cup of dream and add a large pinch of faith. Consult with others who will suggest and provide other ingredients to make the dish more tasty. Pour the mixture into your heart and bake for the designated time. Test often to ensure doneness. Enjoy!