Don’t Worry, Be Happy

Why are we anxious? Usually, because we are faced with a plethora of choices, from what to make for supper, to which person to marry, to where to send our kids to school. Each of those choices leads to a set of consequences, some obvious, and some hidden, some positive, and some negative. We are all scared to death of making the wrong choices, and to have to live with the guilt of messing up ourselves and our families.

As our responsibilities multiply, so do our choices, and so does our anxiety – particularly when our bubble bursts, and we make a wrong choice, and we realize just how much of a mess we are potentially making.

People usually deal with all the anxiety from their over-choice in two ways; either they switch off, or they become terrible control freaks, trying to minimize the unknown, and all the risks that come with it. If we’re honest, we can see that neither of these two options is really dealing with the root problem.

What’s the root problem? That we don’t believe in G-d, or if we do, that we don’t really believe that G-d is running the world, and that every minute detail of our lives – including the hard situations we find ourselves in – has been tailor-made by Him, and is ultimately for our very best.

Or to put it another way, the root problem is that we aren’t living in the World of Emuna. People with emuna have confidence in the decisions they make, because they know that even if it turns out to be a wrong decision, it’s still going to lead them to a good place.

What’s more, people with emuna know that G-d is behind everything, so they make much more effort to put G-d in the picture right from the start, and to include Him in their decision-making process. When a choice has been Divinely-inspired, it’s usually the right choice. And even on those rare occasions when it doesn’t work out the way you hoped, you still know that it came from G-d, and it will ultimately be all for the best.

G-d can do anything! G-d can turn things around in a millisecond. G-d can give you all the inspiration, information and clarity you need to make the right decision. G-d loves us. Even if we are making a lot of mistakes, He wants us to run back to Him, so that He can give us a hug, and help us to start cleaning up the mess we made. We have to trust G-d that everything He does to us is only coming from a place of profound love. We have to be willing to say to ourselves: “I’m going to run back to G-d right now. And even if He wants to give me a smack, I’m going to accept whatever He does. I will not give up on G-d.” And of course, G-d never gives up on us. He loves and accepts us unconditionally, and He always will.