Post-its from Hashem

“She can’t stand incompetence.” Said in the most joking and loving of manners and received as such. The comment stuck with me and I have come to really appreciate comments and moments that stick with me. They are like little love notes from Hashem posted to the walls of my mind for regular review.

Sometimes the notes are funny. Sometimes they really make me think. Sometimes they are there for only a few hours or days. Sometimes they become a permanent fixture – something I reflect upon regularly.

I’m a list maker and a note jotter by nature, so this image of yellow post-it notes scattered around my brain for my mind’s eye to scan and act upon is a fun way to remember that everything comes from Hashem.

There are so many kinds of post-it note messages from Hashem.

The ones that we grab onto and turn over and over in our thoughts are important to pay attention to. These are times when we need to double and triple check that we are engaging our emuna because if not, the evil inclination could get his grubby little paws on our post-it note and cause us all sorts of grief and instill doubt into our thoughts.

There are the ones that you have no idea what you’re supposed to do with. Sometimes you just have to be patient until another note comes along that sheds light on the first.

Oh the ones that make you smile and say, “I know that was You, Hashem! Thank you!” are some of my favorites.

Sometimes we get notes that we promptly cover up with another note – not wanting to receive the message, even though deep down we know it is for our very best. Those notes tend to be repeated over and over until we are willing to accept the message.

Many times (every time?) the notes are to encourage growth and are calling us to come closer to Hashem.

And, every now and then, you’ll get a note that just won’t stick. If you’re a fan of post-its, like I am, you know what I mean. That one little note with a bit of information that just won’t stay stuck. You find it on the floor and re-stick it to the wall. Turn around and it’s on the floor again. Pick it up and repeat. When this happens with my “post-it notes from Hashem” it’s generally something I’m supposed to take action on but am not. I try to stick the note over there in my mental “next week” or “next month” area and Hashem un-sticks it and brings it back to the front of my mind where I have to deal with it again.

That’s how it’s been with the “She can’t stand incompetence” post-it note. It hung out in the pondering section for a while where I pulled out my emuna glasses and took a good look at it. Then I shrugged my shoulders and put it in the “I don’t know what to do with this so I’m going to leave it over here and wait” section. But it just wouldn’t stick and kept falling to the front of my mind.

“What am I supposed to learn from this comment, Hashem?” I asked. And the answer was humbling and honest. The comment was only a part of a sentence – in full it should be:

“She can’t stand incompetence…. In herself.”

And in that complete sentence I realized how much work I still have to do – how much ego is still involved in my thought patterns. How much I still feel that success or failure falls to me despite the fact that I know success or failure is up to Hashem. How much I still need to learn to live my emuna.

I’m happy to say, my “She can’t stand incompetence” note did its job and has gone in the recycle bin.

And now I have a new post-it note and it’s stuck up in the permanent “review regularly” section:

“Success or Failure is up to Hashem!”

I love my new post-it note. Thank you Hashem! 

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Jennifer invites you to participate in a regularly held Noahide on-line study group that reviews the garden series books of Rabbi Arush. You can contact her at jenniferjwoodward@gmail.com to be added to the weekly newsletter for dates and times. Visit the blog at noahidenews.blogspot.com.