Taking it on faith

I just added money to my individual retirement account. I am self-employed so I do not have a company pension plan; all I own is an IRA. (In light of the financial markets' recent activity, I don't own much of that either. Sigh...)

As I signed the check, I thought, "What am I doing locking away this cash until retirement? The stock market is in the tank; the banking system is the verge of meltdown? Am I crazy?"

"No," replied my better self. Investing in my long-term future is my strong stance, proclaiming boldly out loud, "It will be all right." I know that others have thought similarly, and in their present, all is not "all right." Nonetheless, I cannot - must not - become petrified. Stagnation is not a strategy to cope with fear.

Keeping the faith is not always uncomplicated.

My brother-in-law, 47 years old, vital, active, and without cancer history, indeed has cancer. It has been a year of chemo, radiation, surgery, fear, grief, and great expense. The doctors say in the end he'll be fine. Alas, the jarring, jerky toll road to "fine" does not resemble "fine" while one is on it; it is terrifying, painful, and daunting.

My sister told me that during these times what is most strained has been her faith. Ironically, the testing of that faith was where she found her strength. Traveling new avenues, no matter how unsteadily, gave her the fledgling courage necessary to delve further uncharted seas, which caused her to grow and feel strong. Such growth imparts tools, providing one with the calmness, strength, and much-needed reassurance.

She told me, "The more I held on to what I thought I 'knew,' the less I changed, which was incredibly painful. Yet letting go required faith, which was so battered because of everything happening to us. Then I realized you couldn't have faith while still desperately hanging on to what you know. The very act of letting go was proof of faith."

Whether driven by fear of financial ruin, the demise in one's health, or simply the realization that life exists only in the present and must be fully realized now; we cannot move to the next stage without leaving something behind. However, when faced with such a dilemma, natural urges drive us to cling tightly to what was, mistakenly believing that to be our life vest instead of the weighty anchor it actually is.

No sane person rushes headlong, head over heels, helter-skelter into the unknown. We are most often propelled by fear, and dragged, kicking and screaming into the uncertain, flailing for anything to hang on to; desperate to steer clear of the unfamiliar.

The irony is once I can release the false comfort of "what used to work" and turn with outstretched fingers toward the New, I am exhibiting - at least on some level - faith in myself. Maybe, just maybe, I CAN do this.

Once exposed to the infinite possibilities of "Maybe..." options never imagined appear everywhere.

Reach further; extend your grasp, take a risk. Keep the faith.