Learning to See the Good Even When Life Seems Difficult
Most people judge their lives according to one simple standard:
When things go well, life is good.
When things become difficult, something is wrong.
But Torah teaches a very different way of seeing life.
Rabbi Shmuel Birnbaum (1920-2008) taught that you must train yourself to see that everything Hashem (G-d) does is for your benefit and with kindness.
This does not mean life is always easy.
There are frustrations.
There are disappointments.
There are moments when nothing is going according to plan.
The challenge is not for you to deny your difficulties
but for you to learn to see through them.
If you truly believe Hashem is good and compassionate,
then you view even uncomfortable moments differently.
Instead of asking:
“Why is this happening to me?”
Your question becomes:
“What am I meant to learn from this?”
This perspective does not develop automatically.
This requires training.
King David writes:
“When foundations are destroyed, what has the righteous one accomplished” (Psalms 11:3)
When your life feels unstable, a righteous person does not immediately assume they have been abandoned.
You will search for meaning.
One of the most practical ways to begin developing this perspective is through gratitude.
Consider your ability to walk.
Most people never think about this. But there are many people who would give anything to walk for just ten minutes.
Look at your shoes.
They protect you.
They are comfortable.
They take you wherever you want to go.
Who gives you this gift?
Your father, HaShem
The morning blessings in the Siddur (Jewish prayer book) show you how to look at life.
These blessings refer to things we take for granted.
Most people automatically rush through these blessings.
Some examples:
“Who opens the eyes of the blind.”
(Boruch HaShem, Praise G-d
you can see).
“Who gives strength to the weary.”
(Boruch HaShem, Praise G-d
you woke up with energy to
function).
“Who crowns Israel with glory.”
(Boruch HaShem, Praise G-d
you live with dignity and purpose).
These blessings are not poetry.
They are reminders.
The whole Siddur teaches you to notice the good that already
fills your life.
Sometimes the problem is not that your life lacks blessings.
The problem is that you stop noticing them.
Real gratitude is not natural.
It is trained.
When a person repeats to themselves:
“Hashem is good,” not as a slogan but as a way of seeing your life, something changes.
Your complaints soften.
Your trust grows stronger.
And slowly —
even in difficult moments —
your anxiety weakens!
