For me, keeping faith means knowing that when I go to bed tonight that the moon shall be there watching me making sure that I awaken tomorrow for another day. Knowing that what ever hits me I will be able to stand back up, dust myself off, and keep trying to move forward and trying my best not to look towards my past. Knowing that one day the pain will no longer be as strong and hurtful as it is, that no matter what comes and I have to face or deal through that I am strong enough because there are people out there who will stand behind me and help me every step of the way. No matter how dark the days seem that there will be a light that shines through at some point. Keep faith, all things will work out at some point, maybe not today, not tomorrow, but in its own time, we are unable to control the time, but it will work out and things will get better.

I despise that phrase. But for reason. When I was told I wouldn't walk, them might, but would always hurt, but might not---the whole effing rigararole that is why I have medical-stuff-PTSD atop ther est?

All they ever told me was "KEEP THE FAITH"

I finally snapped at my physio doc (a very nice man and excellent doc) WHAT EFFING FAITH! ANd started rattling off everything: What faith? Faith in God, in medicine, in gravity, in me, in you, in WHAT?

He stopped saying it after that.

For me, it came to mean.... Faith that somehow, some way, someday, this will be better. Whatever it is....
Not too helpful, sorry, but I decided to keep faith in my own stubbornness and that did end up carrying me through a lot.

Blessings

Gero - like your definition.
Leo - agree this phrase is way over used and can be invalidating at times. Also too much of a religious connotation.

I'd rather tell people be true to themselves- don't deny things you know are true, examine how you feel and why, don't let others dictate who you are. In your soul, you know yourself, just look.

yes, yes and yes, thank you. from ryverrate; you just gave me an ah-ha moment. I used to say, "To Thine Own Self Be True"....for me that means trust in yourself that you can get back up after continually being knocked down, you are tough, but be gentle with yourself because you do deserve all the love that awaits you.

I think staying in your faith is always hardest when your faith is tested by the adversities in life and that's the time it's so important to 'keep the faith"

Ryver, I like tha ttoo: BE TRUE!

Woot!

I also admit "keep the faith" annoys me because my sis used to sing this song by George Michael and it was something about you got to have faith-a-faith-a-faith... so not a great connotation for me anyway.

But being true? Yeah.... That rings....

arfie and I have both shared that in the past we attended Alanon support groups. For me it was back in the 1980s when I was in a relationship with someone who as in AA. Alanon is for friends and family of recovering alcoholics in AA. Both AA and Alanon are 12 step programs.

A lot of spiritual language that was polluted by my abusive pastor father and abusive pastor's wife mother was recycled in the years I was in Alanon. There is no doctrine or dogma there. Rather than talk about God they talk about a Higher Power, whatever that is to you.

They talk about taking things one day at a time, one of their slogans. For me, that's all that keeping the faith meant. When I had a panic attack today, the idea was to lean forward and look beyond today and believe in tomorrow after today's panic attack.

It's been enough for me for 30-odd years now, even though that relationship ended and my alcoholic significant other fell off the wagon. She got arrested for shooting 7 holes in the neighbor's house in a drunken rage, but I kept the faith anyway.

So sorry about your bunny. Loss is hard, faith or no faith, and a pet is pure love, in my own experience. Much support to you as you work through this.

I think faith can be anything that gives you hope. Keeps you going.

Yes, very very sorry to hear about your bunny.

For me, "keeping the faith" means I can keep going when I have zero proof that anything will be okay, much less fine. I have had incredible numbers of those days in my life.

"Faith" and "Forgiveness" are the new F-words. I am very careful where and when I use them. My father was a fanatical atheist, so nothing new there. He could and did bash a child's faith in self and ice cream. Fanatics are profound people, whatever the obsession of their blinders.

Sorry you about your bunny. Hope you find something to believe in.