Faith-full

Faith.

Complete trust or confidence, is the first definition of the word faith according to the Oxford Australian Dictionary, followed by firm belief, especially without logical proof.

It was the topic of conversation during the session titled "Faith comes in many forms" at the recent BWF.

Robert Kenny 's experience of receiving a quilt made by a group of caring locals in response to his loss from the Black Saturday fires illustrated the notion of faith and community.

Sara James, through a personal account of rising from hopelessness, said that faith was about optimism.

But it was Craig Sherborne who put forward the idea that faith was a temperament.

temperament : a person's distinct nature and character, especially as determined by physical constitution and permanently affecting behaviour.

Craig talked affectionately about his Aunt Doris, someone he believed to behold faith as a temperament, whose life motto was to 'muddle through' - something Craig saw as stemming from the stoic, hardy and resilient qualities his aunt possessed. Qualities which emerged as a result of her faith-full temperament.

This was food for thought. Could faith be a temperament? Could trust, confidence and firm belief, one that defies logic be part of ones nature? Born with it, as Craig suggested - in ones DNA?

I wondered about faiths role in the writing journey I was about to embark on. Was it faith in myself or faith in that which cannot be seen that I needed most? I found the confidence and the courage to ask the authors on the panel what they thought. Craig's answer, to surrender - conclude that I've got nothing to lose and just go from there. Wise counsel, especially coming from an acclaimed author.

At the end of this post I realise I will need both; faith in myself - the confidence and trust that I can 'muddle through' and pull this thesis off, and faith in my connection to the spiritual nature of life and the bigger picture.

Faith in all its forms.