Life is so Unfair, or....

It's not fair!

"Hashem I gave this up for You...I changed my life for You. Come on, this...it's not fair!"

"Hashem, I put in this effort and invested this amount of time and energy, and....and look what happened. Where's my perfect home? My perfect family? My perfect job? My perfect life?"

It seems so unfair.

A person changes their world.

A person gives everything they can.

A person does...and then they look at where they are standing now and they feel, what's the word? Deceived? Let down? Disappointed?

It seems so unfair.

"What was all this effort for?"

Hashem tells Avraham to go, lechlecha. Go, go to you. Rashi says for you, for your good.

Go.

So he listens. He goes and then what happens?

There is a famine.

That is so unfair!

He picks up and he goes again. He listens. He does. He doesn't stop believing.Yes there is a moment when he questions, "How?" But he keeps going and believing and doing.

So what is this "go, go to you, for you, for your good?

Could it be that when we...

Act according to how it's simply proper to act. Do what we are supposed to do. That in itself is for our good?

Meaning to do not because I will get x, y and z if I do a, b, and c, but because this is what I am supposed to do.

Like I'm supposed to smile even if they don't smile back.

I'm supposed to keep quiet even if they keep arguing.

I'm supposed to take responsibility?

I'm supposed to serve Hashem even if right now, at this moment I don't necessarily understand or see why?

I'm supposed to be a good me, the best I can be, and it's for my good? Not just so that it will have a ripple effect?

Yes.

And this is lech lecha.

The parsha of doing something even though you don't at this moment see the reward.

The parsha of just believing.

The parsha of being the best you that you can be and this is ultimately for your good.

The parsha of giving it your all because that it was you were created to do.

Wow.

Can you? Can I?

Well, "ma'aseh avot siman lebanim". The actions of our forefathers are a sign for the children." Which could mean, if he did it, then it means that we can too.

How?

Just trust that it's in your genes.

Shabbat Shalom,

With much bracha,

Elana