Audio begins at min 4:30
Immediately after my TOS surgery and looming Cancer diagnosis, I felt like I was teetering on the edge of a black pit. So many thoughts and questions raced through my mind such as, “Why is this happening to me?” “I hope it’s benign!” “What if it’s really bad?” “How much time do I have?” “I did the whole30 three times!” “Did I accomplish everything I wanted to do in my life?” “How will this effect me?” “What kind of cancer will it be?” “Daniel, do you truly believe without doubt that this will work out for the good?”
It’s seemed much easier to fall into the pit than believe that I could pull myself back.
In our lives we have unlimited opportunities to increase our faith either through “desperation or inspiration.” I just listened to the above class. There is so much gold in these 40 minutes which I feel absolutely compelled to share. This class by Gedale Fenster from The Lighthouse Torah Project captures all of the thoughts and feelings I had in my heart and mind while laying in a hospital bed of uncertainty. Unfortunately, I did not have the luck to be introduced to these classes (by my sister’s friend Sonia) until a week after the official diagnosis.
Nonetheless, I still pulled myself back from the pit.
I don’t remember where I heard this, but, the quality of your questions determine the quality of your life. Don’t ask, why is this happening to me? Ask, what can I do and how can I do it?
So what did I do? I worked to strengthen my emunah (faith) and have been doing so every single day since. Not to mention, the name of the doctor that shared the initial CT scan results – Dr. Enumah – is an anagram of the Hebrew word EMUNAH, meaning faith in Gd. Coincidence? Perhaps. But I really do not think so. Rather, I interpreted this as a clear sign that my perspective in life needed to be switched around so that my faith would be fortified.
These 40 minutes tell you exactly how to do that and see the magic in your own life.
Living a life without emunah is like trying to build a brick house without the mortar. It might look big, beautiful, and impressive, but if something is to exert force on those walls, the entire structure comes tumbling down. With emunah, you keep those bricks in place and ensure that the structure stays strong in the face of a challenge. Focus on laying mortar before adding more bricks to your structure.
