Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.
The BuddhaBelief
Believing in a Higher Power changes everything.
Faith in a Higher Power doesn't come easily for many people, particularly those for whom the past has been painful. Acting as if there is a God is the best many people can do at first. And that's good enough.
What's to be gained from believing in a Higher Power? Peace of mind comes first. Knowing that we're not alone, that we have a companion to share every burden with, makes any struggle easier to handle.
But belief doesn't mean that we'll no longer have problems, that we'll be guaranteed happiness. Life is ebb and flow, good and bad, up and down. Nothing has to destroy us, though, and that's where our faith comes in. With our knowledge that God is present always, we can move through troubling experiences, confident that we'll survive — confident, in fact, that we'll grow from the experience.
With my Higher Power's help, I will get hope and relief today in all my experiences, no matter how troubling.
A Life of My Own by Karen Casey ©1993