A great deal of attention was granted to the Faith Based Initiative of former President George Bush Jr.  The initiative was an approach taken by the Federal government to address many of the social challenges facing The United States by funding programs operated by churches at the community level.  Many churches lined up to qualify for and accept millions of dollars from the Federal government to aid in helping local communities with social service programs. The program came under fire from critics such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for being in violation of the separation of church and state. Some viewed it as a way to pass money on to churches that in return might feel obligated to offer political support come election time. But this is not the faith based initiative to which I am referring.

Lets first define initiative. Initiative is defined as a leading action or an introductory step. The root of the word initiative is the word initiate.  Initiate means to begin, to set going, or to originate. Faith is confidence or trust that is not based on evidence or proof.  Simply put, your faith based initiative is when you get something started or initiate something but you don’t have evidence or proof that you will succeed and thus you have to rely on faith.  This is the great challenge that we all face from time to time.

Whether you are starting a business, a new program, a marriage, a new career or investing you may find yourself without evidence that you will succeed and it is then that you need faith. To initiate anything is difficult enough.  It is easier to leave things as they are.  Ever tried to commit to a workout regimen or lose a few pounds? If so, you know leaving things as they are is easier. But sometimes for whatever reason, usually a desire for something better, we will take a leap of faith and initiate something, and we will get something started. And it is that willingness to try that drives progress.

So I encourage you during these seemingly challenging times to use your faith to get something started.  Use your faith to make your situation better.  Difficult times means there is less evidence or proof that things will improve.  It is easy to fall into inertia and pessimism. But have some faith. If there is a course of study you need to embark on but you are not sure if you’ll succeed, rely on your faith.  If you have an idea but don’t have proof that you will succeed, have some faith.  Faith is a powerful tool in the process of making things happen.  The great thing about faith is that it comes from a limitless source. Get started on your faith based initiative!   

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