BIG, BOLD, DARING FAITH
Hello, my dear leader,
I trust your weekend was just as beautiful as mine.
Last week, we enjoyed a fantastic letter from Queen, and it got me thinking all week. It was a call to reawaken weakened faith and to strengthen feeble knees. However, one thing she said that really stuck was, “Our struggle is not in the fact that we are weak or fearful but rather in our lack of faith to believe that something better is possible and worth fighting for.”
A lack of faith indeed weakens and yields a life of aimless pursuits. Faith in something or someone is what breeds and fuels trust and confidence. However, when faith is missing, we often find ourselves drifting through life, unsure of our purpose and hesitant to take action.
This begs the question: How do we build faith? How do we build faith in the belief that a cause is worth fighting for? One powerful way to build faith in a cause is by conviction, connecting with personal stories and recognising the difference our actions can make.
As I brood on this, my mind turned to the young Nobel Prize winner and a woman who has transformed the world: Malala Yousafzai. Her inspiring story sheds light on how we can build faith in staying true to a cause we believe is worth fighting for.
Malala was born in 1997 in Mingora, Pakistan, where her father ran a girls’ school. Her love for education was tested when the Taliban took control of her town and banned girls from attending school. Undeterred, Malala began to speak out publicly for her right to learn. In 2012, she was shot by a Taliban gunman for her beliefs, a brutal act that aimed to silence her voice.
Miraculously, she survived and emerged even more determined to fight for girls' education worldwide. With her father, she co-founded the Malala Fund, which advocates for every girl’s right to 12 years of free, quality education. She published her memoir, "I Am Malala," and, at 17, became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate for her advocacy work.
Her story exemplifies the power of faith in a cause, showing that even in the face of grave danger, one can stand firm and inspire others. Her story also teaches us that faith in a cause can be built through personal conviction and the courage to stand up for what is right, even in the face of danger.
So, my dear leader, I hope this story inspires you as it had inspired me. I hope you also find a cause worthy to believe in, and to fight for if need be. Truly, a future we are deserving of is not one which we only hope for, but one that is also worth fighting for.
Thank you for your continued commitment to our shared vision. Let’s keep the faith alive!
Yours in Leadership,
Louis