Paths of Faith: Easing the Struggle with Life's Trials

How can we positively influence our lives through positive thinking and ease the struggle with trials?<\/p>

Through thoughts of faith that the situation can change<\/u><\/strong><\/h3>

Thoughts of disbelief that the situation can change – prevent abundance from descending upon the person<\/p>

There are people facing various challenges who do not even realize how much they are preventing the ready salvation from reaching them from above, and how open the channels of abundance are above them, yet they block them, just because their thinking is negative and they do not believe that the situation can change. Such thoughts of disbelief in changing the situation do not allow salvation to reach them.<\/p>

As we have said, to cause abundance to flow from above there must be an awakening from below. If someone does not believe the situation can change, they seemingly stop the abundance from descending upon them through their thought. For example, someone waiting years for a match who decides she will never get engaged. Even if Hashem wants to bring her salvation in finding a match, she stops it with the thoughts she has decreed upon herself.<\/p>

This situation is not Hashem's desire. Hashem desires so much to bestow goodness upon us, and in the heavens, a person will be judged for not using their strengths to prepare a vessel for Hashem's salvation. "Did you anticipate salvation?" asks the Pele Yo'etz. This is a directive for a person to not only hope for the complete redemption of the Jewish people but also for their personal salvation in all matters. When a person ascends to the higher world, they will be asked if they hoped and anticipated that Hashem would save them.<\/p>

People lose their world because they do not believe how much Hashem can change all reality. As stated in the Gemara in Sotah about the verse in Zechariah: "For who has despised the day of small things" (Zechariah 4:10), the Gemara (Sotah 49b) says: "Who caused the righteous to squander their tables in the future to come? The smallness of faith they had in not believing in Hashem."<\/p>

Believing the situation can change<\/u><\/strong><\/h3>

To merit salvation, we must change our mindset and strengthen our faith that the situation can change; what happens today does not have to continue; Hashem can do everything. It is our duty to believe that Hashem can change even a difficult reality and turn the bitter to sweet, the sick to healthy, and the impossible to possible.<\/p>

The years do not have to continue on the same path – believe in the possibility of change<\/p>

Some people think that if they have been waiting many years for salvation and have yet to receive it, it means this will continue. We must know that indeed the years follow the same pattern and continue to flow, but they also hold a message of change. The word "year" hints at this: year – from the Hebrew shinui, meaning change – repeats itself again and again, each year has the same course, twelve months, but it also holds another meaning: shinui – change, everything can change.<\/p>

We must believe that even if things have remained the same for years and we have not been granted salvation – the year brings us a message of change – everything can change for the better if only Hashem wills it. Hashem is omnipotent, and there are endless stories of people who did not find a match until close to the age of thirty and are now happily married. Many people were blessed with enduring progeny after twenty years of marriage. And many who were in enormous debt rose from the dust and recovered. In every area, one must never despair and never stop hoping, lest one close oneself off from abundance.<\/p>

We should not allow thoughts of "impossible" to infiltrate us, thoughts like "this is how I am and will remain forever," "I will never get married," "there is no chance I will recover," or "there is no logical way I can get out of debt," and so on. These are thoughts of heresy in the unlimited powers of Hashem, and these thoughts can close off the abundance Hashem hopes to give us, and shut against us, Heaven forbid, the hope that should be in our thoughts. We must banish these thoughts and think positively, work hard on our trait of faith, and believe that in any situation, Hashem can change everything for the better, even if everything seems hopeless. Believe that Hashem has ways that have not even crossed our minds to bring us salvation. (For further expansion on this, see the section on strengthening faith – the point of not giving up)<\/p>

To purchase the new book by Rebbetzin Esther Tolensano "Paths of Faith" at Hidabroot Shops<\/strong> <\/span><\/strong>Click here<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>