 Undying faith
Money
helps... but faith is the key to happiness
Sami Nilli
March 17, 2005
iranian.com
As the years pass by I am more and more
convinced that we have all been put here on this planet for a reason
by an infinite Creator. We are all put here to play some small,
but necessary role in a grand performance, a performance called
life. Unfortunately, we are not capable of seeing the big picture,
but must rely on faith and faith alone to believe that our part
in the performance is essential. This is life. I am happy that
unlike so many of my friends, who believe in nothing except themselves,
or in acquiring more things, that I have my illogical faith to
rely on. Many of my friends believe that there is no Creator and
therefore there is no necessity to believe in anything, but the
moment.
I often wonder how it is that people come to see themselves as
the ultimate creation in the universe while denying the existence
of a Creator or how they come to see their own existence and that
of humanity as mere fortuity in a universe filled with mysteries.
What baffles me about these ideas is that if one believes that
humans are the ultimate creation in the universe, doesn't
it necessarily follow that one must acknowledge the existence of
a Creator?
If, on the other hand that one believes that all
life on Earth has come into being by mere chance, someone, please,
tell
me how it is possible that there is so much warmth, happiness,
love, joy, sadness, hatred and the entire panoply of emotions
within the human heart? Why don't flowers, birds, dogs or cats
feel what we feel? I know the answer to this question already...
.at least the answer that is right for me... we are God's
children. We have been put here, each and every one of us to
fulfill some grand purpose that He wants us to accomplish. Why?
Your guess
is as good as mine! We often deny Him and turn our backs on Him
because we fail to remember that He has a purpose for us, so
we stop looking for it.
When we humans see great tragedies befall us or those around
us, one can often hear the sarcastic remarks in many languages
that
God doesn't exist. People often asked how could a good God,
a kind God allow His children to suffer. I don't have the
answers to these questions any more than you do, but to my mind
there must be some greater purpose which simply eludes our ability
to comprehend. Who are we to say that suffering serves no use?
Perhaps,
it does. Perhaps, it is meant to strengthen the soul and to steel
the spirit against the many big and small problems we
face in life. When we ask questions such as why God would take
from the world this person or that person in such a manner or at
such a time, aren't we simply engaging in an exercise in
futility? If we were God, we would know the answers to these kinds
of questions before the questions were even asked, but we are not
God. We are in truth small creatures with limited abilities that
must rely on faith to help us get through life's adversities.
An individual's faith, however, does not rely on organized
religion. In fact, all religions that I have ever heard about seem
to be rather exclusive organizations. To varying degrees each religion
says that if you are one of us then God loves you, but if you are
not one of us then you are on the wrong team... the losing team.
Faith is the ability to believe in something that
lies beyond one's five perceptive senses. Faith inspires hope
and hope burns
bright
the fire of life. Faith is what sustains us on the coldest
day and in the darkest hour. Faith is that which inspires us to
go
on when we feel that all is lost and no one cares. Faith is
that which brings joy to the heart's of people who lie on their
death beds as they ready to make their imminent voyage into
Eternity.
Faith is that which sustains those who are left behind once
their loved one departs on that voyage into the Ages.
Without some kind
of faith in something or someone greater and more omnipotent than
ourselves, we lead meaningless and empty lives. We are not dogs,
cats, tress or bugs. We are God's most glorious creation
and all we need do is remember that. Always keeping that in mind,
we will never forget to believe in Him. He is here, there and everywhere.
If you are His friend now, perhaps He will be your friend tomorrow.
If, however, you forget Him in this life, He'll forget you
in the next. I'm not trying to preach here, but I just want
to give you something to think about.
Why is it that so many of us in life forget God until we need Him
most? Why is it easier for many of us to say, "Goddamn it" instead
of "God love it or God keep it"? Why is it that only
when we face the greatest of trials in our lives or the darkest
of hours that we fall to our knees and beseech Him to hear us,
to comfort us and to save us. Why are we such superficial creatures
that we can't celebrate and rejoice in our faith everyday?
I don't know the answer to this. We fancy ourselves such
sophisticated beings, but in reality we aren't endowed with
quite as much wisdom as we think we are. We are small and God is
large and that is just the way things are.
 I am sure that I will get a fair
share of mail telling me that I'm full of crap and that I ought
to keep my beliefs to
myself. I'm sure a few will misapprehend what I am saying
and tell me that no one gives a damn about my religious view, but
what they don't see is that I am not advocating religion
at all. Religion enslaves. It does not set anyone free. The only
thing, in my humble view, that sets us truly free is a deep and
unyielding belief in our Creator. Each of us will have our own
views in this regard and none amongst us has any right to impose
upon anyone else our views and beliefs or to coerce another into
abandoning their own beliefs. God hears each of us as we call Him
in our own way. Your way is not better than mine and mine is
not better than yours. What works for you, works for you and what
works
for me, works for me. The important thing is not that we may
do things a little differently, but that we both have something
to
believe in. That's it. Faith is the key to happiness... money
helps... but faith is the key. A rich man with no faith knows
for sure that all his money cannot secure him a place in the
next world, but a poor man with faith has an unshakable belief
and a
joyous heart that the next world will be wonderful.
I was thinking of my dear grandfather a few days ago. He was
a poor man with little education, but he was a kind and loving
man.
He would give the shirt off his back to a stranger in need. About
thirty years ago, I sat beside his bed as death drew near to
him. He was sick, but he was smiling and happy. He wasn't merely
happy. He was overjoyed. He did not fear death at all. I fought
as hard as I could to keep from crying as I sat next to my grandfather's
bed and he comforted me. He looked at me and said don't
cry, I am about to meet my sweet love, your grandmother again.
In a little while I will see my mother and father
again and I am
waiting to sit with my dear grandfather again, just as you
are sitting here with me. I asked my grandfather if he was scared
to die and he said no. He said he could hardly wait to pass
through
that door. We spent many hours that day talking about things
we
had done together over the years. He told me how much he loved
me and that I had been a terrific grandson. He filled my heart
with enough happiness that day to last a lifetime and then
that night he finally passed through the door he so patiently waited
to walk through.
I have found out recently that I too, may very well be walking
through that same door sooner rather than later. I never thought
much about dying before, but it is the one thing I a have always
known that I couldn't avoid forever. I hope my faith is
as strong as my dear grandfather's was. While I would rather
stay around here awhile longer if I could, I know that my grandfather
will be waiting for me on the other side when my time comes
and that makes me a little less afraid. I only wish I knew
what to
say to those that I love to console them. I don't want them
to cry for me... not one tear.  I want them to have such a deep
and wondrous faith that it will permit them to feel only joy
for me once I take my walk into Eternity. I want them to know that
no matter what I will be waiting for them at the very moment
that
they walk through that door, especially my one special and only
love from Abadan. I will greet each of them and rejoice in our
reunion when that time comes for each and every one of them.
Like my grandfather told me so long ago, death isn't a time for
tears, but a time of joy and happiness. This is what I want for
those I will leave behind.
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Undying faith
