Imagine for a moment that you needed to hire someone to do an important job, like a financial advisor or a babysitter for your little one. Would you trust the Tooth Fairy to do the job?
Now, you are probably saying to yourself, “That is very silly! The Tooth Fairy does not even exist!” It would surely be foolish to trust someone fictitious with any task, let alone such an important one!
This is why Emunah, knowledge of Hashem’s existence, is such a crucial prerequisite to Bitachon (see Bitachon: What it isn’t, What it is for a definition of Bitachon). If I am going to trust that everything Hashem’s does is for a reason and is in my best interest, I had better be convinced of His existence and involvement in this world!
What if I don’t know Hashem?
This leads us to a big problem: many people are not so sure that God really exists. Even if you think that God probably exists, and even live your life accordingly, you may still harbor doubts, often or occasionally. You may feel pretty certain that God created and runs the world, but do not live your daily life with that constant awareness.
The good news is that there are specific things you can do to increase your belief in and awareness of God.
Look at nature
When you watch a breathtaking sunset or view a stunning mountain range, it is impossible to imagine that these things are the product of chance rather than design. Just as you would think it ludicrous for a Shakespeare novel or Beethoven symphony to have emerged accidentally on its own, it is crazy to believe that this amazing world is without a Creator.
I still remember the chemistry class I took in college. I watched the teacher sketch on the board how the different elements combine, demonstrating how everything on this earth works together to make all things that we need. I felt incredibly awed by the wondrous complexity and detail that comprises all that we take so for granted.
Think about the human body
The human body is really just another wonder of nature. But I list this separately because when you think about all the intricate systems that are needed for our bodies to function, you will realize that surely we were created with tremendous care, and did not just evolve by chance.
Imagine what would go into creating a robot that mimicks a human being and all of its functions! What a wondrous machine it would be that could see, hear, speak, and feel! Certainly it would take careful design and planning! And what amazing machines are the bodies we sometimes take for granted, which even have souls in them!
After birth, I marvel at the tiny little infant that was inside me just moments before. And sometimes I look at a grown person and think, “Wow, that person was once a tiny creature inside of his mother!”
Incredible!
See God when things are going well
Make it a habit to recognize that God is behind everything that happens to you. When you make all the green lights, notice that God let things go your way. If the results of a test were favorable, realize that God decided it should be so. When the kids play nicely instead of fighting, view it as a gift from Hashem.
Talk to Hashem
Whether you choose to engage in traditional prayer or informal conversation with God, you will increase your awareness that He is right there with you all the time. Ask Hashem to help you (“Please help me find my toddler’s other shoe”), and remember to thank Him when He helps you out (“Thanks for getting the stain out of my favorite outfit!”).
Don’t trust the Tooth Fairy, she isn’t really there! Look for God; you will see Him everywhere.
Post a comment to share how you increase your awareness of Hashem, where you find Him in everyday life, or how you like to connect with God!
My husband and I talk all the time about keeping a journal of all the times things just "work out". Just noticing little things that had to fall into place, outside of anyones control, that make a huge difference (we have some more dramatic examples as well from his deployments).
ReplyDeleteSimilar to what Ita said, with regard to a baby being born. Think about all of the things that have to happen to get that viable, healthy baby that are completely out of any mortals control. Chas VShalom one little chromosome out of place can change everything... enter bitachon!
One of my favorite books is "Judaism, Physics, and G-d.". It uses modern astrophysics and partical physics to find metaphors for G-d. I've always felt that the closer you investigate creation, the more you see the reflection of the Creator. When you look at all the things necessary for life here on earth, from the exact distance from the sun so that we could have water, but not all ice, to exactly the right size planet, to all the right elements in the right amounts...you see that the odds are so unlikely of all these things happening in the right place at the right time for us to exist. It just could not be chance, but has to be due to a power we could not begin to comprehend.
ReplyDeleteI think we each have something different that when we look at it, we feel very small and in awe of Hashem. For me, it was always looking up at the stars. :)
This blog is such a wonderful way to keep us in contact in between classes and to help us make what we're learning part of our lives.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I don't always remember to thank Hashem for small favors, I'm definitely working on it. For example: when I'm driving down the road I frequently notice a green light in the distance and fully expect it to turn red before I reach it. But sometimes it just stays green as if it were waitng for me. And I know that I was given a small gift. So of course I smile and say "Hey, thanks" It's nothing formal, but HE knows and I know exactly what happened.
It is sometimes hard to remember. Sometimes it helps to build it into your routine. For example, to notice when you get the green lights, or to remember to thank Hashem when the line at checkout is short. Just by setting a special assosciation to practice something usually helps that behavior to become a habit. It's kind of like brushing your teeth before bedtime - it becomes second nature and you remember to do it automatically! (Though you still have to think about it each time! Otherwise you miss the point!)
DeleteI love this blog post! And the class! Thank you, Ita.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I am a questioner -not so much of the existence of God- but I don't know if what I think of as God is the same HaShem that others seems so comfortable with. That is why I love your suggestions for increasing belief in and awareness of God. They really resonate with me.
I remember being a young child and learning that some people didn't "believe in God" and thinking that was ridiculous and even egotistical, as if humans were the highest life form. It seemed clearer to me then. Of course, I also believed in the Tooth Fairy at one time (I remember trying to stay up to wait for her). But you know, there actually was a Tooth Fairy. It wasn't the winged creature who flew into my bedroom through a closed window. It was my own, loving parents. Maybe it is the same with God- that it's in trying to conceptualize God in a certain way that I fall short.
I suspect that my Tooth Fairy was actually my father!
DeleteThe way each person understands God may be different than the way another person views God, and even different that the way that same person comprehends God at different stages of life, We understand everything from the perspective of our own life experiences, our education, upbringing, etc.
By recognizing God and having a constant awareness, we can form a deeper connection with Him and understand Him even more closely!
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DeleteIt seems easy to me to see God in the miracles, whether they are the large miracles (i.e creation of a planet that revolves just the perfect distance from the sun and would otherwise be to uninhabitable by humans, Beautiful sunrises and sunsets, or when a child is born with ten fingers, ten toes and that gorgeous innocent face with so much potential... etc... )or small (such as the surviving an illness or getting the job you were meant to have). These positive miracles are what keep me from being agnostic. However, finding God in each and every day and trusting that when the lights are all red, he had a reason for it becomes harder although I feel I am growing in that ability. I think Ita mentioned in her introduction the very thing that gives me greater trouble, that is finding God in the catastrophes of our lives. Taking them apart and looking beyond the affect that we see in the moment for how it should make us better, stronger, more faithful in the big picture?
ReplyDeleteThank you Ita for making this blog to discuss. I am thankful to Hashem for making this class possible and for all of the wonderful people who I have met in this community. I think that is the greatest gift, when you meet the truly good people. (Often we realize what a miracle it is after meeting those who gave us the negative experiences. ) It is like the greater appreciation I have for breathing after a long battle with a cold, sunny days after the latest tropical depression, but to the 100th power.
I am a little extra thankful to have the small miracle of some time today to read and respond to this blog.
Finding God in the "catastrophes" can certainly be a huge challenge at times.
DeleteThis topic is too large to cover in a comment, but it will be a super topic for another post and a class!
In the meanwhile, consider these following:
Challenges help us improve as people
Challenges help us activate our hidden potential
Challenges sometimes lead us to a new path in life we would not otherwise have found or been receptive to
Something that appears to be a catastrophe may actually be removing some kind of roadblock that stands in the way of our personal development
Sometimes our life mission is tied into that catastrophe