I Did a Good Thing? ... It Was G-d
When one is negative, we deny G-d
and
Take no pride in the good you do (have done) - imagine, that is was G-d.
(Baal Shem Tov)
Sometimes we feel negative because "everything" we do does not work out and everything just seems to go wrong.
On other days, everything works out and everything goes well. When we feel good, it is often easier to do good deeds. We are cheerful and friendly to the people around us, we say with a friendly face "hallo", when we see someone who needs our help, we give it. We call someone we haven't spoken to in a long time. Or visit someone who could use a visit. At the end of the day, it is easy to be proud of yourself for all the good you have done. But it was G-d who gave us the good mood of that day. He brought the people on our path, or in our thoughts, whom we could help. In short, although it was our hands that produced the deeds, it was G-d who wanted to give these deeds to the people and we were allowed to help. Think of Abraham. He looked forward to guests, to feeding them and giving them drink. When the guests wanted to thank him, he pointed out to them that it was not he who had given them the food and drink, but that they had received it from G-d and that they had to thank Him.
Remember that when things do not go well one day, everything comes from G-d's hands. Everything that seems unpleasant or unpleasant is meant for good. Maybe we need to learn something that day, maybe we need to correct something that day. Maybe the day is meant for someone else to help us or do something for us. We can then be grateful to G-d that we are the reason that someone else can do a good deed.
Everything comes from His hands, let us try to discover the positive in everything that we experience negatively.
Brought By Angelique Sijbolts
Angelique Sijbolts is one of the main writers for the Noahide Academy. She has been an observant Noahide for many years. She studies Torah with Rabbi Perets every week. Angelique invests much of her time in editing video-lectures for the Rabbis of the Academy and contributes in administrating the Academy's website in English and Dutch. She lives in the north of the Netherlands. Married and mother of two sons. She works as a teacher in a school with students with special needs. And is a Hebrew Teacher for the levels beginners en intermediate. She likes to walk, to read and play the piano.
Sources
850 Sayings of the Baal Shem Tov
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