How I Learned That Faith Without Action Is Just Wishful Thinking
I was raised Catholic from a young age. My parents were devoted—and I mean devoted. Every night before bed, we said the rosary together. Not a quick version. We would stay up late, praying for what we needed, believed we deserved, hoped would come.
For them, this was more important than reading stories to us. More important than many other things, actually.
Growing up, I internalized a simple belief: God would help me.
Before every exam, I prayed. Not that I'd study well—I prayed that God would help me remember the material. Before bed, I prayed for my future, hoping He would make it easier. This gave me confidence to do anything. I truly believed that if I had faith, the rest would follow.
And yes, believing in God made me disciplined, kind, helpful, respectful. Our teachers reinforced it too—"pray before your exam." It was the culture. It was the framework through which I understood the world.
But I had a disconnected way of looking at things.
I believed first, then took action, expecting results to follow automatically.
I'd pray to pass an exam, then study half-heartedly. I'd pray for health, then ignore basic nutrition and rest. And in farming—this stuck with me—we'd cut down trees to plant maize, then ask God for rain. We knew trees bring rain. We understood the science. But we wanted to pray for it anyway, rather than do the necessary work.
My formula was simple: plan, pray, and do as little as possible.
What I should have been doing: plan, take action to the best of my ability, then trust in God.
It took leaving Kenya to understand this.
When I traveled outside my country, I noticed something that fundamentally changed how I see faith: people who function well in secular societies don't pray first and act second. They act first, then trust.
Many of them don't even invoke God explicitly. They simply do what needs to be done. They study. They work. They solve problems. They build. And then—then—they release the outcome to a higher power.
This realization was uncomfortable because it meant admitting: I had been using faith as an excuse for inaction.
And I realized something deeper: Religion had taught us to be submissive—to follow orders, to accept what we were told, to trust authority over our own judgment. That structure made sense in my parents' world. It kept communities cohesive. It provided belonging and moral clarity.
But it also meant I wasn't building agency. I was building dependency. I wasn't developing myself or trusting my own capacity to solve problems; I was delegating my responsibility—and my power—to God.
Since then, my entire relationship with faith has shifted.
Now I understand that most things that happen to me are within my control—what I think about, what I say, how I treat others, the actions I take. When I do my best and act thoughtfully, then I leave the rest to God. That's when faith actually gives me strength to keep trying.
It's no longer about hoping or being told what to believe. It's about acting with intention, then trusting the outcome.
But here's what really fascinates me:
I'm not the only one going through this transformation. And it's not just individuals—entire diaspora communities are experiencing it.
Someone once told me that controlling masses through religion is more effective than through police, because you can't make everyone a police officer. I understood that logic for a long time. But after traveling more, after seeing how societies with less religious dependency actually function, I realize: people don't need religion to tell them how to treat others. They already understand that treating others well is good for society.
Communities that were historically formed around churches have evolved. People have diverse interests, time constraints, competing priorities. The church can't be everything anymore—and frankly, it's not always genuine. I've seen pastors pray for you to get a car while expecting you to contribute toward theirs.
Globalization changed everything too.
Before, you believed what you were taught because you had no other options. You submitted because that's what was expected. Now, you can access different religions, compare belief systems, question everything. You're not forced to accept what your parents believed anymore. You have a choice.
My former setup made me who I am today. But I now understand something crucial: I have agency over my life.
Belief is important. The values my parents instilled in me through faith—discipline, kindness, respect—those were gifts. But I've learned that belief works best when paired with deliberate action and personal responsibility. When you stop being submissive to circumstances and start being intentional about building your own life.