By Tina Smith, M.Ed., LPC

Connecting spiritually is as important as connecting with others. A spiritual journey is personal and individualized. Transcending from a place of unrest to peace is a wonderful journey that has lasting effects on our mental wellness. Having faith is a spiritual experience because it requires you to choose to believe in something that you can not see, yet you hope will manifest. It is easier to have some faith when there is some evidence that your dreams will come true. When the doctor tells you that everything will be fine, your child shows promise to have a successful future because their grades are good, and trusting that you will have a strong and long-lasting marriage are a few examples of events we trust with a measure of faith. However, these examples require putting our trust in a person or hoping events line up in our favor. If at any point things we have put our trust in fail, we lose faith and hope fades away. Without faith, worry, anxiousness, and fear become a strong hold on our lives. Without a measure of faith, worry increases, and a sense of peace decreases.

A spiritual level of faith comes from a higher power. This type of faith ushers in unexplainable peace and a level of resiliency to push through tough experiences. There is a biblical scripture that references that our creator supplies us with a peace that surpasses “all” understanding. When hardships seem extremely unbearable it feels as if there is little anyone can do to ease your mind. Trying to understand why some things fail is an unrestful state of mind that contributes to increased symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Overcoming hardships requires a spirit of resiliency. A spirit of resiliency is an unexplainable phenomenon. A resilient spirit needs faith, and faith requires vision. Tapping into this level of spiritual faith is a powerful experience that pushes people into a realm that supplies peace, calm, and if needed, acceptance. During a point of confusion or unrest, we have two choices. We can stay in the state of unrest with no hope of moving forward, or we can believe with a measure of faith that our Heavenly Father will meet you where you are and supply a peace that transcends our understanding.

Strengthening our spiritual faith is essential to developing unexplainable peace. First, find a resiliency mentor. The best mentors are those who display a peaceful existence despite hardships. Ask about their experiences and take note of their resilient spirit. Secondly, appreciate how our creator provides for us through nature. The air we breathe provides oxygen, the sun promotes our happy hormones, from the ground grows essential nutrients for our bodies. Lastly, I encourage you to find tranquility in a sunrise or sunset. An encouraging scripture I gain peace from says “May the Lord bless you and keep you; may he make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you, may he lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.”