What's Your Emunah Response Time

1. Everything that happens to me is from Hashem.
2. Hashem loves me. 
3. Hashem only orchestrates things to happen to me that are for my best. 

Awesome! So life must be great, right? After all, anytime something happens to me I immediately remember these three rules, and feel the warm embrace of Hashem, even if it looks or feels “bad!”

Obviously, this is not always our experience. Sometimes we remember to bring Hashem into the picture, and sometimes we don’t. There is no doubt that, were we to meditate on these three rules when a challenge comes our way, it would help us actualize our emunah and bring us a feeling of peace. Emunah may not make the challenge disappear, but it can lessen the pain and anxiety of the challenge, as we internalize that every thing that happens is orchestrated by our loving Father in Heaven. 

The moment a Yid is challenged, the yetzer hara gets right to work. His first job is clear – don’t let the Yid realize that this challenge was given by Hashem, with love. The last thing the yetzer hara needs is for the Yid to stop and zoom out and remember that everything Hashem does is for his good. This is a “slippery slope” (for the yetzer harah) which can lead a Yid to feelings of serenity and faith, and even help him develop an even stronger connection with Hashem through that challenge!

Sometimes even a ‘small’ strategy or insight can make a world of a difference in this battle of emunah. Here’s a perspective I found helpful, so I share it in case you find it to be helpful as well. The strategy is to track and monitor your “Emunah Response Time” (ERT). Your Emunah Response Time is the amount of time it takes, from when a challenge arises until you bring Hashem into the picture. This does not mean the time it takes for you to fully internalize your emunah, until the point that the challenge becomes resolved, which may or may not happen. Bringing Hashem into the picture happens even with a simple thought. “Hashem sent me this challenge, what does He want me to do? How does Hashem want me to react? What is my avodah right now? Hashem loves me, so this must somehow be for my good, even though it doesn’t feel very good…” 

You’ll find that being mindful of your ERT will help you improve it! After a challenge happens, ask yourself how long it took you to bring Hashem into the picture. Make note of that number. Do this a few times, and you’ll find yourself being aware of your ERT much earlier in the process. If you want to really level up, turn this into a sort of game or challenge by tracking and writing down your ERTs and setting goals on how you want to improve. The goal is to bring Hashem into the picture as soon as possible, no matter what life (Hashem!) throws at you. 

As with any goal, we can only get there with Hashem’s help. Take a moment to ask Hashem to help you work on improving your Emunah Response Time. “Hashem, I wish that my kneejerk reaction to any challenge would be to instantly bring You into the picture, with an ERT of zero seconds. I’m not quite there. Please help me improve my ERT as much as possible, so that I will see Your presence and hold You close anytime I go through a challenge.”