lesson on faith from salmon fishing

'Faith is the cure that heals all troubles. Without faith, there is no hope and no love. Faith comes before hope, and before love.'

Everything we are, whatever we do, wherever we go, it is on faith. Faith gets us to where we plan to go. Faith motivates us to what we want to become, Faith defines a person.

Faith comes in many shapes. It is not faith in God per se. For some, they have faith in everything that is around them. For others, they have faith in themselves. Either way, it is faith that keeps us moving. But faith cannot stand alone. You have to believe.

Even the most impossible idea can be achieved by believing. You must have faith, and you must believe in it. And by believing doesn't mean that one just have to wait and pray for the miracle or the success to happen. One has to work for it, make effort for it, earn it. Success doesn't just come rolling over or land happily on your lap. Life is not that cushy. Sure, there are challengers and hardships to endure, and at most times you will question the faith you have, and all the doubts come running and swirling into your mind, trying to convince that what you believe is perhaps just a silly dream. There will be people who will go against you, who will try to rob and take that faith, that belief, that dream away from you, and you will feel at times that it's not worth the effort.

But we forget that where there's enemies, there are also friends, family and even strangers, who share your belief and is always there to support and encourage you. We seem to forget that despite all the dark clouds, there will always be a silver lining, no matter how thin, or how tiny it is. Because it is promised that all efforts will not go to waste. So what do we have to lose? Fear of the risks? Risks are always going to be there, always. Anywhere you go, risks follows like a shadow. It is your choice to treat it either as a friend, or foe.
And when success emerged itself, presenting itself to us, that satisfaction, that feeling we have as we embrace the welcome of success, that, is the best feeling in the world. And nobody can take it away from you. Because it is yours. Forever and always.

This is what I learn from reading Salmon Fishing in The Yemen by Paul Torday. Having faith alone is not enough, you must believe in it. Only when you have faith, you will see the beauty that surrounds you, the opportunities that open their doors to welcome you, and people that will love and cherish you in their lives.

A wonderful, beautiful and insipiring book, and I am glad that I chanced upon it during the Big Bad Wolf book sale. A must read.