How Faith Helps Us Build Capacity

“I found it strange, yet perfectly balanced, that I needed my wounds to heal my faith, and my faith to heal my wounds.” ~ Rumi

Building capacity has become a buzz-word within organizations the last decade, seeping into other areas like physical and mental health. When I first heard the phrase about ten years ago, I found it confusing, seeing the word “capacity” as a measurement of volume! Of course its root is the word “capable” and that’s what helped me get less confused. Building capacity means building capability.

Formally, capacity building is the process of developing the skills, knowledge, tools and resources an individual or organization needs to be able to function effectively, sustainably, and adapt to change. This applies to constant growth and learning, challenging yourself and reflecting on your progress. I think, most importantly, it’s about developing resources. One of those resources for me is my faith.

It’s tricky when we seek to blend faith with mental health.  Previously, both Freud and Skinner disparaged reliance on religion or faith, seeing it as a weakness. However, research is showing that for some, a spiritual belief system is not just important to their mental health, it just might be an undervalued resource.

In the Handbook of Adult Resilience (edited by John W. Reich, Alex J. Zautra, and John Stuart Hall, 2010), researchers note “(Religion) may establish a foundational meaning system that orders the individual’s understanding of the universe and particular events.” In other words, our faith can help us make sense of events, perhaps leading us to meaning-making sooner rather than later when we go through dark times.

One criticism of faith held by Freud was that it was a crutch, something people leaned on to avoid meeting an issue or catastrophe head on. However, in the Handbook of Adult Resilience, a summary concludes, “These studies make clear that religious people do not generally bury their heads in the sand or wait helplessly for someone else to solve their problems. In contrast to these stereotypes, the empirical evidence suggests that religious people are generally actively engaged in dealing with their personal tribulations. Moreover, their religiousness may enhance such efforts.”

“When we reach the limits of our own strength, and courage, something unexpected happens. We find reinforcement coming from a source outside of ourselves. And in the knowledge that we are not alone, that God is on our side, we manage to go on.” ~ Rabbi Harold Kushner

The research also showed positive results in aspects of resilience and in spiritual transformation. They found that as these resources of faith sustained people in times of trouble, their certitude that faith is a valuable tool grows. In short, people showed that faith strengthened stress-related growth! Faith actually helps us build capacity. It helps us deal, and it helps us adapt, and it helps us grow.

I only cite these findings to uphold my own personal experience. That when I’m literally brought to my knees by life events, I have found my faith to be a source of comfort and strength, simultaneously being held AND pushed to grow!

In our old house, there was a short hallway with closets on both sides between the primary bedroom and the bathroom. Three times in my life I have completely surrendered in that spot, wailing with grief and anger and despair. Even after we remodeled that area, I went to the same spot, because it had been sanctified by my tears. My complete surrender, (dumping out all the emotion, crying out to God all the questions and all the accusations and all the anguish), cleansed my spirit and allowed a kind of grace to come in that wasn’t possible when I was holding so tightly to my desolation. Then, my faith begins to comfort me.

Where do I find faith? Personally, I find it in writings from great spiritual teachers, and in nature. You might find it solely in the Bible or the Koran, or wherever your heart is touched. If you have trouble with religion and faith feels elusive, turn to nature. Nature continues despite everything. Seeds become trees, insects busy themselves composting and pollinating, mountains stand for centuries. There is comfort in that continuation. You, also, will continue.

As a child, my family would often go camping in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. I remember even as a little girl being so in awe of the grandeur of the mountains and the perfection of nature. I felt one with the earth and the nature surrounding me. It gave me knowledge I have carried with me; that things may go horribly wrong, there may be enormous grief, or earth-shattering trauma, but if I am of nature, I will persist.

When I look back over my life, I see how I constantly, sometimes subconsciously, kept building that resource of faith. Bad things do happen to good people. Bad things just happen. Faith can help us through those times and become a reliable tool in our box of resources. I just have to remember to bring that tool out first, and it will support my other resources on the journey.

Every time we face a difficulty we have a choice. The opportunity is there to build capacity and to develop belief in our own capability to deal, adapt, and grow. I encourage you to bring faith into that process.

“People who pray for miracles usually don’t get miracles, any more than children who pray for bicycles, good grades, or good boyfriends get them as a result of praying. But people who pray for courage, for strength to bear the unbearable, for the grace to remember what they have left instead of they have lost, very often find their prayer answered.” ~ Rabbi Harold Kushner