I have a friend from a very prominent family [living somewhere else] who is a very pious, devout Jew. He is either always learning or davening - or so it seems. He just takes a moment before learning to prepare his coffee. He drinks a lot of coffee it seems, probably because he doesn't sleep much because he is so busy learning.
He has a brother who writes articles on his site detailing his search for a "husband" and other sundry topics, none of them revealing a great amount of Yiras Shomayim - to say the least.
Lesson A: They grew up in the same home, same parents, same teachers etc. etc. One brother leads a life of complete devotion to Hashem while the other has - it seems - no belief at all in anything [just a desperate hope that he find the love of his life]. Where did the parents go wrong [or right]?
I would suggest that Hashem runs the world and that the parents aren't always to blame or to take credit. Hashem sends the child that the parents need to reach their tikkun. I can't imagine the pain these parents feel seeing the son they raised live the lifestyle he does. So we have to DAVEN HARD for good children, in addition to sending them to good yeshivos, setting a good example and ensuring a warm, loving home environment.
Lesson B: There is only ONE TYPE of person I know who looks like he lives the perfect life. He seems to be healthy, have a beautiful family, a nice house that he owns, enough money to live comfortably etc. etc. That is a person that I don't know at all. But EVERYBODY I know well enough has some SERIOUS issues that they are dealing with that I know about and other issues that I don't know about. [I am the only person I know about whom I know all of his problems. I would share but why ruin your good mood. Besides - I have SOOOO MUCH BRACHA that the other stuff is manageable. Like two working eyes. And kidneys. And a GREAT pancreas. And clothing to wear. The list goes on and on and on. HODOOOO LASHEM KI TOOOOVVVVVV!!!]
Take my friend. He seems to live the life. He does what he loves, has a beautiful home, a nice, large car, a beautiful growing family, money should not be an issue [although he doesn't show me his bank statements so I can't be sure] etc. etc. But he has this brother, his flesh and blood, who is living a life that is not only filled with pain in this world but more importantly is leading him to an eternity that is incredibly sad and tragic. ETERNITY! Can you imagine how his brother who loves him so much feels? I can't. [I had a relative who "came out of the closet" but that is only because he needed a shirt. He got the shirt and came out. Big deal.]
