Faith is not something to grasp, it is a state to grow into.
Mahatma Gandhi
You have heard about giving the benefit of doubt. My friend Rohan, from “A Learning a Day” blogged about this today, and it sparked the following thoughts in my mind:
How can Doubt deliver a benefit of any kind?
Doubt is based on the following states (based on http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/doubt):
- Ignorance – not knowing what was the intention
- Fear – not knowing the desired outcome
- Distrust – not trusting something or someone
What about giving the benefit of Faith?
According to the same dictionary faith is having confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another’s ability.
Faith is based on the following states:
- Wisdom – acknowledging that our perception of reality is to narrow to understand the whole picture. Striving to complete our picture by listening and talking to the other side of the story.
- Love – no matter the outcome, your unconditional love for people – with their imperfections and extraordinary potential to do amazing things, is what will enable you to praise them (when you catch them doing great things), redirect them (if they’re learners) or reprimand them (if it’s an attitude problem and they should know better)
- Trust – Stephen Covey wrote a book called “The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything” where he shows why Trust can make you more competitive and productive
Here’s what happens when you unleash the power of Faith:
Then Jesus told them, “I assure you, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, `May God lift you up and throw you into the sea,’ and it will happen. in Matthew 21:21
Here’s the challenge for YOU
Instead of giving people the benefit of doubt, give them the benefit of your Faith in them and in yourself!
What about your thoughts about this?
