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The Battle of the Generation

testchart1 Monday, 19 October 2020
Part 73/141 (to see other parts of the article, click on the pages at the bottom)

If you want to build a relationship with Hashem, spend time thinking that He loves you. Think about His care for you and your wishes, and appreciate that He is looking out for you. Think about all that He does for you, and all the extra things He gave you just for your enjoyment.

Realize that Hashem’s entire relationship with you is built on His love for you. Everything He does is only because He cares about you. He never loses His cool or becomes fed up with you.

Remind yourself about all the times Hashem has helped you. Every time He makes something go your way, especially if you prayed for His help, write it in a notebook or on your phone and review it often. This will remind you that Hashem is running your life and that He cares about whatever you care about, just because you care about it.

Remember that Hashem is the One Who gives you the strength to defeat the yetzer hara. As you do battle, realize that Hashem is with you. He is always at your side giving you strength, no matter how far you have strayed. If Hashem wouldn’t help you, it would be impossible to win any battle.

Hashem gave you everything you need to help you serve Him better, and He set up every challenge you face. He gave you the opportunity to overcome your challenges and accomplish, and you can only accomplish anything because He gives you strength. Hashem does all this because wants to give to you. Therefore, thank Hashem for His help instead of growing haughty and demanding because of your victories. Appreciate that Hashem is on your side. You are never on your own. Rejoice! You have the best ally in the world! And make sure to pray constantly for Hashem’s help to conquer the yetzer hara.

We must ask ourselves: Are we inspired to accomplish even more, or have we grown complacent? Do we respect others, or do we think they are inferior? Do we thank Hashem and rely on Him, or do we act as if He owes us? Do we feel capable of winning our battles with Hashem’s help? If we can answer these questions properly, we will have a healthy relationship with Hashem and with ourselves.

Finally, we must make sure never to boast or to show off our talents and accomplishments. Rather, we should keep them to ourselves. Showing off goes completely against humility and detracts from our reward. Obviously, even if we understand humility, we will nonetheless be far from it if we act arrogantly.

A person can be excited about his achievements and his potential without becoming arrogant or complacent. Mastering this goes a long way in the battle of the generation.

Quick Recap:

  • We can feel great about accomplishing and still avoid arrogance if we remember that:
  1. Our entire nation is one unit with one common goal.
  2. We are incapable of comparing ourselves to others because we don’t know their circumstances.
  3. We still have much work to reach the lofty levels we aspire for.
  4. We can only succeed spiritually because of Hashem’s help.

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