The word 'oilam' comes from the word 'ne'elom', which means hidden,.... The world is named this way, because the manifestation of ...... presence is lacking.......

Hashem is hinting to us (through this possuk) come to the world ....... Come with Me to the world,........., so take Me with you, hold Me close, cultivate a relaionship with Me and then you will be successful.

#24

Overhauling our character traits

If we continue to experience falls again and again, then something far more fundamental in our character traits may be absent.
The addiction is often a sign that we are missing some of the most basic principles of what it means to be a human being, created in the image of Hashem.

The emotional maturity of an addict can often be at the level of a two year old.
When we don’t get what we want, we feel like crying, kicking and screaming.
We never learned how to deal properly with pain, anxiety, resentment, stress or anger.
We have always used the addiction to hide inside ourselves,
and we refrained from mature emotional interaction with others.

While our peers were growing up and learning about life from the world around them,
we were zoning out into our fantasy worlds of self-pleasure and escape.
And so we often remained as emotionally immature as a little child.

I attended an AA meeting where the speaker was celebrating his 20th year of sobriety.
He began by saying, “The man I once was, drank. And the man I once was, will drink again” (but the man I am today, will not).
Alcoholics who have not had a drink for many years but have not overhauled their character are “dry drunks” and will often drink again.

The same is true for this addiction.

How does one become a different person?
By working diligently on improving one’s character traits.
Learning how to manage anger,
to rid oneself of resentments,
to overcome hate,
to be humble,
to be considerate of others,
to be absolutely honest in all one’s affairs,
to admit being wrong,
to overcome envy,
to be diligent and overcome procrastination.

When one has transformed one’s character and has become a different person,
one will find that this “new person” can accomplish things that the old person could not.


(Attitude Handbook Attitude #18)

Shteeble wrote on 17 Jun 2011 04:46:

#25

Hashem looks at our efforts, not the results.

Hashem doesn’t seek great successes and big achievements from us.
Whether we succeed in a big way or not, is ultimately His business.

All he asks from us is that we try to get a little stronger every day,
and do what we can at this point in time.

Our struggle with the Yetzer Hara is even more precious to Hashem than our ultimate success in breaking free.
Hashem has enough great and powerful Malachim in Shamayim,
but only humans struggle with the Yetzer Hara and can give Hashem Nachas Ruach through that.

It is brought down in the sefer Menucha v'Kedusha, written by a talmid of R' Chaim Volozhiner,
that even a person who sins his whole life can still be considered a Tzadik,
as long as he never gives up and always continues to fight.

We like to think of success in terms of results.
But Hashem looks at our efforts, not at the results.


(Attitude Handbook  Attitude #25)