So, I've been thinking (due to personal experiences I choose not to share) and I realized something: Why do we care so much about what happens now, in this world? I don't mean about hunger or wars or politics, I mean about little personal stuff that happens to us, like fights with our friends or looking bad or ugly, etc.
Really, think about it. None of that stuff matters. So what if you look bad and everyone laughs at you? Yes, it's going to hurt, but eventually, that's not what counts. I know this doesn't help and you're probably rolling your eyes at the cheese factor, but really, it's true. Maybe cliches became cliches because they're true. I mean, seriously, God isn't going to judge you based on how bad your hair looked or how much people laughed at you, He's going to judge you based on the way you react. Are you going to cry and hate life and people and forget to thank God for every other great thing He gave you (like I do A LOT, but hopefully won't do anymore)? Or are you going to count your blessings and keep your head held high and prove those people wrong not by obsessing over your looks, but by trying to make the short time you spend here on earth valuable by helping people and doing what God ordered us to.
The question that's really troubling me, as a person who is really self-conscious, is why do we care so much what people think of us? I know we all try to pretend sometimes like we don't care, but we do. Why? Why do we care so much to make sure that people like us and accept us? Why does a cruel word or a harsh laugh from someone, even someone we don't know, have the ability to bring us down? And so the even bigger question raises itself: If we care so much for other humans'--like us--opinion, then how come we don't feel the same way towards God? How come we can forget to thank God or not pray well but we can never seem to forget the sneer so-and-so gave us yesterday? Why do we consistently crave acceptance from other people, but don't care so much for acceptance from God, our creator? God, who gave us everything and, if you really think about it, didn't ask for that much in return. What did other people give you? Can anyone really be able to give you what God gave you? Think about it, if you tried to count every single blessing God gave you you wouldn't be able to.
Maybe we don't appreciate all our blessings so much because over time we've come to take them for granted, maybe even think of them as our right, which is probably why we keep asking, "Why didn't I have as much money as so-and-so has?" or "Why can't I ever manage to look as pretty as her?" and similar pointless questions that only make us feel worse and do worse. All the blessings we have are not our rights, God doesn't have to give us anything at all. He could do with us whatever He saw fit, but He doesn't. He gives us countless gifts and blessings and treats us fairly, yet we always cry and break down and hate the world at every single obstacle that comes our way. God doesn't throw these obstacles in our path to torture us or torment us, He does it to test us. He already knows the outcome, of course, but He's showing us ourselves. And in all the obstacles that have come my way, especially recently, I haven't liked myself at all. I didn't like the way I reacted or the way I cried for countless hours and then just said, "Thank God," without really meaning it that much.
Well, now I mean it. Thank God for everything. Thank You, Allah, for giving me all these wonderful things You need not have given me. Thank You for blessing me and giving me all these countless gifts. I will try to be more patient, and to always remember to thank You for every single thing, good and bad, because without the bad I wouldn't appreciate the good. Al hamdo lellah.
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