Have a Little Faith: A True Story

As the book’s title suggests, Have a Little Faith probes issues related to a belief in a higher power. Through his conversations with the Reb on a variety of subjects, Mitch Albom comes to appreciate the transformative power of faith in several contexts and the value this can have in one’s life.

One such context concerns the dichotomy of the individual and the community. Faith is often accompanied by a sense of community in an organized religious setting such as a church or temple. Without faith, many individuals would lack the social support that is perhaps more difficult to achieve outside of this organized setting. In addition to the benefits of a faith-based sense of community, the Reb laments a loss of communal feeling that has set in as a result of social changes, including increased busyness and reliance on technology. By contrast, the Reb continues to prioritize personal interaction with others, preferably in person. In the Reb’s view, faith is the lifeblood of a sacred community, allowing people with shared values to support one another. Even outside of the worship setting, the Reb uses faith to make connections with those around him and create a sense of community that would otherwise be lost.

Another context illuminated by faith concerns the pursuit of wealth. The Reb turns this notion on its head by asking, as the title of Chapter 34 reads, “What Is Rich?” (112). From a perspective of faith, possessions are relatively unimportant since, as the Reb points out, “We can take nothing with us” to the next life (101). Instead of hoarding possessions, then, the Red leads a life of simplicity and shares what he has with others. Indeed, Albom recalls a sermon in which the Reb only wished to be a millionaire “when he thought about how many families he could save from financial sorrow” (116). Faith provides clarity for the Reb to find happiness in prioritizing minimalism and simplicity in his life so that monetary gains can be used to help others. This outlook gives everyone involved a sense of peace, spreading the benefits of faith beyond an organized religious setting.

Inevitable pain, suffering, loss, and hardship constitute a third context in which faith has a role to play, according to the Reb. Although faith may not always provide an intellectually satisfying explanation for the difficulties that are part of life, the Reb suggests that maintaining belief in a higher power that is poorly understood is far preferable to confronting the implications of a godless universe. Having lost a young daughter, the Reb is no stranger to loss, but his faith provides an anchor for him to work through the resulting grief, just as it provides a calming context as he nears the end of his life.

In these and other areas, the Reb presents faith as a powerful, guiding, comforting influence. Those, like Albom, who are skeptical by nature can look to the Reb’s messy file on God for an example of what faith is and where it comes from; Henry Covington’s experiences provide another point of reference. Faith thus emerges as a deliberate choice about how to deal with the unknowns of life, and it is typically developed incrementally through study and experience.