The Reflective Eclectic
How to Keep the Faith When You Don’t Think You Have Any
“Keep the faith.”
When I sometimes say that to a client at the end of a counseling session, I get a lot of funny looks. I should probably explain what I mean.
People are apt to be confused if they don’t think they have a faith. They’re likely to misunderstand if they think I mean they should keep going to church, or believe some dogma, or recite some creed. People don’t expect to be proselytized or exhorted on religious issues by their shrink.
While I sometimes think a person might benefit from some kind of religious activity like prayer, worship, singing, serving soup to the poor, or attending potluck dinners; that’s not what I’m saying. What I’m saying refers to something far deeper than that. When I urge a person to keep the faith, I do so because I saw something in the client that could help him. I saw faith.
Faith is often confused with belief, belonging, or trust; but I think the theologian, Paul Tillich said it best: “Faith is the state of being grasped by an ultimate concern.”
Never mind, he didn’t say it best. Tillich said it succinctly; but to say it well, he should have said it in a way that could be readily understood. Let me give it a shot.
