Taking a leap of faith is like exercising a muscle; even if it’s not enough, at least I’ve strengthened that muscle.
The story of “Leap of Faith” begins with a greeting card I purchased somewhere that reads, “A leap of faith never fails.” I bought the card not because I think that’s true, but because I think it isn’t.
Leaps of faith sometimes fail. I’ve seen friends take chances and have things not work out; I’ve seen businesses fail; I’ve put effort into endeavors that fizzled out. (So that I don’t sound too pessimistic, yes, leaps of faith sometimes do succeed, but that’s not the point of my story.)
The reasons why things didn’t work out can be complex. And the reasons why things succeed can be equally complex. I’ve come to believe that it isn’t as easy as simply “having faith.” Faith by itself is not enough: hard work, luck, privilege, persistence and many other factors are involved too. Sometimes, the combination of all of these things is enough, and sometimes it isn’t.
Yet sometimes, especially at the very beginning of an endeavor, faith is all we have and it has to be enough. Leaping into the void that is faith is utterly freaking terrifying for me, since I am someone who makes things happen primarily by hard work. I want some kind of guarantee, and there isn’t one. I want to know I’m going to land on my feet, and that’s not guaranteed either. I want to know my fright and hesitance and overthinking will be worth it, and that’s not a sure thing. The only guaranteed benefit is that I’ve confronted a fear. (That’s worth something, so I guess you could argue that a leap of faith never fails to bring some benefit, in the same way that everything is a learning experience.)
I’m not comfortable with this. But I know it’s sometimes necessary.
So yeah, faith isn’t perfect. But it doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to get you going; and sometimes it has to keep you going when things get tough. Faith isn’t going to get you all the way. So hard work, luck, privilege, persistence, and all those other things are the backup plan to faith; and faith is the backup plan to persistence.
The greeting card I bought and this “Leap of Faith” card that I’ve drawn both remind me of this. Sometimes it’s hard to know when faith is called for, and when persistence is called for. “Leap of Faith” reminds me to try both. It reminds me that my usual ways of doing things—hard work—will sometimes not be enough, and I must trust others to help me, and confront my fears and insecurities.
Taking a leap of faith is like exercising a muscle; even if my leap of faith isn’t enough, at least I’ve strengthened that muscle. I need to keep the faith.
A story behind one of the cards in The Tarot of Michelle. Follow the developmental art as a Patron on Patreon.
michelle rau 