Seeing The Good
Not so long ago, I found myself in a moment I wasn’t meant to be part of. I overheard a conversation about me that I wasn't supposed to hear, even though it wasn’t my phone call. I heard it by mistake. It carried a tone, a message, something that didn’t sit right in my heart. For a split second, I felt that urge we all know too well, the urge to react, to defend, to confront. But instead, I paused. And in that pause, something within me shifted.
I realized that not everything we hear is meant for us to carry. Not every moment requires our reaction. Sometimes, we are simply meant to learn. So instead of stepping into the conversation, I stepped back into myself and asked, "What am I being shown right now?" Maybe it was a misunderstanding, maybe it was a joke that didn’t land right, maybe that person was carrying something heavy from their own day, or maybe just maybe it reflected how they truly felt, and even then, I chose something different.
I chose to see the good. Not because it’s easy, but because it’s powerful. Because the truth is, people are broken. People are hurt. And hurt people hurt people, even when they don’t intend to. Sometimes they don’t know how to help themselves, so they react to what’s around them. They project, they deflect, they speak from pain instead of peace. And if we’re not careful, we can take that pain personally, as if it was truly about us. But often, it’s not.
I remember that same day, after everything had settled in my mind, I picked up the phone. I called my close friends. I vented. I replayed the situation over and over. I spoke about what I should say, how I would confront them, and how I would stand my ground. I even told my mom exactly how I planned to speak, how I would express every ounce of hurt, maybe even hurt them the way I felt hurt, and in that moment, it felt right.
But then something inside me paused again, and I realized that’s not who I am anymore. I don’t want to hurt people to make a point. I don’t want to lower myself just so someone else understands my pain. I don’t want to speak from a place of reaction when I’ve worked so hard to grow from it. To scoop to that level just so they could feel what I felt, it wasn’t worth it because my peace is worth more than proving a point.
Seeing the good in someone doesn’t mean you agree with them. It doesn’t mean you excuse hurtful behavior. It simply means you are strong enough not to let one moment define a whole person. We are all layered. We all have days when we are not our best selves. And just like we hope others give us understanding in those moments, we can offer that same understanding in return.
I also understood something deeper, not everyone is meant to be your person. And that’s okay. Sometimes we cross paths with people who are not aligned with us, who don’t see us the way we wish they would. But that doesn’t mean we have to respond with bitterness or distance. It means we respond with clarity. You don’t need to belittle them. You don’t need to push them away with anger. You don’t need to change who you are to fit into their world. You can acknowledge that this is not your company and still hold respect.
You can still wish them well. You can still choose kindness over reaction. You can still see the good even if it’s from a distance. Because at the end of the day, the way we choose to see others reflects who we are becoming. And I want to be someone who sees light, even when it flickers. Someone who doesn’t let a moment of discomfort turn into a story of negativity. Someone who understands that people are human.
So I brushed it off my shoulders. Not because it didn’t matter, but because I matter more than carrying something that wasn’t meant for me. And in doing so, I walked away lighter, still kind, still respectful, still choosing to see the good and this is where my emunah lives. In the quiet moments where we choose not to react, in the strength it takes to walk away with dignity, and in the trust that Hashem places every experience in our path with intention.
Even the uncomfortable ones. Even the ones that test us. Because each moment is shaping us, guiding us closer to who we are meant to become. With emunah, we don’t need to control every situation or correct every person. We trust, we grow, and we continue forward with peace in our hearts knowing that what is meant for us will always find us, and what is not will gently fall away.
Emunah