First and foremost, thank you to all of the readers who commented on Molly's Story! I appreciate your participation, and enjoyed reading your thoughts!
Molly's basement is back together again, minus the rug and a few loose tiles.
Was Molly Right or Wrong?
If you answered "right", you are right!
What is Bitachon?
Let's begin by reviewing the basic definition of Bitachon.
Bitachon means "Trust in God". I can relax because I know that:
- Everything that happens is purposeful
This is another way of saying that nothing is by chance. Hashem is running this world. He oversees even the tiniest details.
Nothing happens by accident, and nothing can transpire without God's consent.
- All that God does is for the best
The fact that Hashem is orchestrating my life is only comforting because I know He will only do what is best for me.
I trust that even when I can't see or understand, there is a very good reason. Somehow, this unpleasant event is for my ultimate benefit.
See also The Package and Habit # 4: Knows What You Really Need
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In other words, I trust that God is in charge and that He will only do what is good for me. (See Bitachon: What it isn't, What it is)
Accepting God's Will
As Karen pointed out, Molly correctly accepted that the damage was from God (see #1 above). Karen also notes that this Bitachon reaction cannot be a cop-out or excuse, as Molly was not negligent in the first place, and did do everything in her power to prevent further damage.
(See this story and its follow-up answer for more on the requirement of effort. Also see Effort vs. Trust and How to Make Decisions and Why Work for a Living?)
Everything is for the Best
Evalinrose agrees that Molly displayed correct Bitachon, but also indicates that the "All is for the best" component (see #2 above) seems to be missing. This is an excellent observation! Our Bitachon is more complete when we not only accept, but also acknowledge that the situation must be good somehow.
In all fairness, though, the "All is for the best" component is sometimes implied in the acceptance. For example, a standard "Bitachon statement" might be "I accept Your will, Hashem", or "If that's Your will, then it's my will too". What I believe a person actually means by saying these is "I accept Your will, Hashem, because I know that You will only do what is best for me!".
Keeping the Peace
One of the major benefits of Bitachon is that it helps us to manage stress and to remain calm in difficult situations. Commenter Mommy points out how Molly's Bitachon reaction also helped her to deal with the problem at hand and keep peace with her neighbor. How true!
Many others in the same place would lash out at the neighbors, reprimanding them for their negligence (or perhaps simple ignorance!). Molly was able to be level-headed about the whole ordeal because of her Bitachon.
In Summary
Molly displayed a correct Bitachon reaction. This helped her to interact in a positive way with her neighbors and to keep things in perspective (" . . . certainly not the worst thing in the world"). Molly (and all of us!) should keep in mind that everything Hashem does is for the best.
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