Spiritual Remodeling

Translated by Rabbi Lazer Brody

 
People run to remodel their homes, but they’d be much better off if they remodeled their outlook on life. The negative way people see the world won’t get anyone anywhere. Yet, the emuna outlook will bring you to inner peace, joy, and much higher fulfillment of potential. So, we must all strive for a remodeled emuna-style outlook on life. Everyone must strive for Torah and thanksgiving. This means bringing ourselves to the level where we can sincerely thank Hashem for the things that are most difficult and painful for us.
 
By adapting ourselves to an emuna outlook and a life of gratitude, we merit the best blessings, including an end of our exile – both personal and national – as well as true inner peace and miraculous salvations that we never dreamed of obtaining.
 
Sometimes a person feels destroyed, when everything seems negative, hopeless, and cause for worry. But there’s hope: since everything depends on emuna, if he can bring himself to believe that Hashem does everything for the best, then his life will do a complete turnaround for the better. He’ll mitigate harsh judgments and will consequently feel much less anxiety. He must simply resolve to strengthen his emuna.
 
Try this: sit down for five minutes and ponder the principles of emuna. Consider how there’s really no bad in the world and that all is good. Take stock of all the positive things in life that are reasons to thank Hashem – functioning lungs, eyes that see, a heart that beats without the help of a pacemaker, good kidneys, food in the refrigerator, running water, air to breath – the list is endless. Think how life’s less desirable aspects are blessings too, whether or not we understand how or why. So let’s thank Hashem for whatever is worrying us just as we’d thank Him for our lungs or eyesight. Such sincere thanks do wonders! You’ll see that all the harsh judgments will be sweetened just by thinking that there is no bad, that all is for the best and that you want to thank Hashem. Gratitude is truly a miracle cure.
 
If it is difficult to access all of these feelings in five minutes of clear thinking, one should spend time in personal prayer telling Hashem that he wants to live a life of emuna, believing that Hashem is good and that all that He does is for the very best, that there is no bad in the world.  Yet, even if a person spends just five minutes daily thanking Hashem and pondering His loving-kindness – all the harsh judgments will be mitigated.
 
No, you’re not a loser. True, life can be burdensome, heavy, and dark, but that’s because you succumb to fear and negative thoughts. Heaviness and negative thoughts are an indication of stern judgments on a person. But as we’ve shown, nobody need surrender to stern judgments. We can apply emuna on the spot, take a five-minute “timeout” for personal prayer and repeat to ourselves, “I believe that there is no bad in the world. I believe that there is only good. I believe that Hashem is only good and does the very best for each person in general and for me in particular. Therefore, whatever will be, will be for the very best.” Repeat this several times and you’ll be amazed how much better you feel, both mentally and physically.
 
Such personal prayer is more effective than a pain-killer in getting rid of a splitting headache. How? A tension headache is just another manifestation of a stern judgment. In that personal prayer in gratitude mitigates and even neutralizes stern judgments, it can rid a person of a headache with no problem.  As he repeats the abovementioned brief prayer every few minutes, he’ll literally feel the harsh judgments rolling off his shoulders, as if he were relieved of a hundred-pound sack on his back. He’ll escape the darkness that surrounds him and bask in Hashem’s light that will shine upon him.
 
Don’t ever forget – think positively, that everything is for the best. Whenever you feel the slightest negativity, take a timeout for a few minutes of personal prayer, contemplate emuna and thank Hashem for everything. G-d willing, with a little bit of spiritual remodeling, you’ll see amazing results.