Climbing Higher

Sometimes, someone who grew up frum all their lives can look at another person who is not yet frum and think to themselves, "wow! I am so great! Look at how religious I am! I daven every day, I dress modestly, I am careful with xyz..." But when you look at someone else who is still working on themselves, it is important to keep this concept in mind. If you looked at someone who is not frum and is are wearing pants, you shouldn't be quick to judge them. You never know what struggles they are going through and how much they may have to fight to do certain mitzvos. There are some girls who work so hard and fight their parents so they can eat kosher or keep shabbos. They are working so hard on themselves and one day they will get there! Their struggles may be stronger than the ones you face on a day-to-day basis.

You wake up every morning, daven, eat a kosher breakfast (do you even think twice about that?!), get dressed in your uniform/skirt and top or whatever it is that you are wearing...for these kiruv girls, this is a huge struggle! Their parents are against them and they have to put up such a fuss to be able to eat kosher or even wear a skirt! So just because they don't look like you, doesn't mean they aren't trying and they don't want to! They really do want to be on a certain level but their parents just don't let them! So don't look down at them - instead, respect them for trying so hard and working to get there!

Here's an interesting way to explain this really well.

Every person is trying to climb the spiritual ladder but each person starts off at a different rung. So just because one person starts off higher up on the ladder, doesn't make them any better than someone who started off lower. What matters is how far you have climbed!! People who are working on themselves, even if they are still on a rung that is lower than the one you are on, they may be on a greater level than you - why? because of how high they climbed!! So instead of looking down at other people for the things they don't do, look at yourself and ask: how much did I climb? Am I working on going higher?!

That's what's important - it's important to be striving and growing - and not so much looking at where other people are holding, unless that inspires you to go higher...sometimes it can be so inspirational to watch a non frum girl trying to daven in English! Even though I don't daven in English and it's "better" to daven in hebrew words, a person who cannot read hebrew can daven in English and cause those watching them to be blown away by their sincerity! They are actually greater than me because of their struggles, challenges and how hard they have worked on themselves to become better!!