Tailor Made Challenges

Heard from Toni at our Jewish Recovery Meeting (happy 5th anniversary Toni!)

G-d got me to it, He will get me through it.

Classic AA. Simple and powerful.

Here is the more complex version:

Let's consider a horse trainer who is teaching the horse to jump over obstacles. The horse might think that the trainer is out there to stop him from running, when in reality the obstacle is designed to awaken within the horse the power to jump. Without the obstacle the horse will never find out that he has the capacity to overcome it. When the horse finally gets it and learns how to jump, the trainer might give him a carrot, but by next morning he already designed a higher obstacle for the horse. Now the horse is thinking, AHA, now i really know that he is trying to get me... But soon enough the horse learns to overcome that obstacle too...

Let's see... can we achieve what horses do? Do we think G-d is at least as organized as a horse trainer? Do we think that we have hidden spiritual energy that is brought about only when we are faced with a challenge? Can we imagine anyone else besides G-d designing our training program? Can we trust Him that the obstacles are not put there to block us, but to encourage us to jump?

Knowing all that it only makes sense to accept the situation that I face today as having been tailor made for me today. And my response to that challenge should be to turn to G-d to help me with finding within myself the power to jump. It is easier than you think, I will tell you why next time...