What is blocking me from finding happiness?
“It is easier for a Jew to declare Gd as King of the Universe thank for her to acknowledge that Gd is King over herself” Rabbi Yisroel Salanter
What stands in the way of our finding Gd? The answer is WE stand in the way. When we have negative feelings, it can’t be helped. But when we react negatively, in thought speech or deed, we are entering the world of our lower self instead of reaching for our higher self.
No one can say anything to hurt you unless you believe it in your lower self. We have to understand that whenever we feel negative, when we are in our negative zone, it is a Gd-given opportunity to become great by walking over it. When we succeed, then when we hear it from others or think we hear it from others, it won’t hurt us anymore.
When our basic nature is active, it has something to say about everything. And if we are ruled by anger, negative reactions and more, it is considered idol worship. I am guessing that if someone offered you $10 million to bow down to an idol you would not do it. So why would you serve an idol for free all day long?
Feeling good from our circumstances sometimes happens and sometimes doesn’t; however we can go beyond our circumstances. How? If the driving force in our life is who we are committed to be (i.e. to bring out the aspect of Gd’s image in us), and not our moods or circumstances, we can feel good from the choices we make all day long, despite our mood and circumstance, no matter what feelings our basic nature may be generating for us on a particular day. And do you know that when we do this, rise above our lower self reactions, we uplift the people around us as well?
Look at Gd’s great gift to us! He does not give us a set of negative thoughts one day and another set the next day. He gives us the same miserable set over and over again so that we can make progress with it! One day, we may withstand it in a way we didn’t yesterday, and then we go higher in rising above our nature and moving closer to the aspect of Gd’s image inside of us. We can bring out Gd’s characteristics instead of reacting negatively. Gd gives us the same old negativity so we can learn how to work with it, to rise above and transcend it. Most of the time we are dealing with simple fear — False evidence appearing real
Someone told me this story:
“My 18 month old daughter struggled to walk up the slippery slide in the playground. She kept falling and looked to me for help. I picked her up and put her on the top so that she could slide down. I remember thinking ‘What a lesson in life! She wanted to slide down so badly but had no idea how to get to the top. She was close to me so I could easily pick her up. In life we don’t always know how to get to our goals, but if we have a powerful will and turn to Gd, Gd has infinite ways to get us to where we want to go, even if we make mistakes.”
I think of this little girl and yearn and turn to Gd
Gd can help us, despite any of our mistakes. From a place of trust in His love we are much more likely to tap into the resources we need to not give up on our personal goals, improve ourselves and embrace others.
Take your next step in a positive direction and Gd will help.
Categories: Free will, Ego, Ahavas Hashem, Clarity, Bitachon
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