Hashem's list

And now, a word from our sponsors. A very brief word.
TV commercials are shrinking along with attention spans and advertising budgets. The 15-second ad is increasingly common, gradually supplanting the 30-second spot just as it knocked off the full-minute pitch decades ago.
http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101029/GJLIFESTYLES/101029607/-1/FOSLIFESTYLES

I came upon a thought on the parsha, Eliezer's search for a wife for Isaac, and a beautiful story by Rabbi Eliyahu Hoffman about grabbing the opportunity to do a mitzvah. Even though reading the article will take longer than a 15 second ad, I think its well worth the time investment.

Often we think that when we do mitzvos we’re somehow doing Hashem a favour. Especially when we help others, we feel we’ve filled some void. Of course we realize that Hashem doesn’t need our mitzvos in any way, but still we feel smug for having done the right thing, and helped out when there was no one else to help.
... A mitzvah is an opportunity. Someone is going to chap (grab) it. Hashem doesn’t need you to do it; He has plenty of other ways to get things accomplished. But if you like, you can grab the chance and get your name on His list.
Read full article: http://www.torah.org/learning/olas-shabbos/5766/chayeisarah.html

Proverbs 31:26: "She opens her mouth with wisdom and on her tongue is a Torah of kindness." First and foremost, Eliezer searched for a woman who was kind.