Am I Real Yet?

December 21, 2022 by  
Filed under Daily Devotions

By Charlotte Riegel –

I bristled while reading a blog post by an acquaintance. Her writing is gutsy, a bit raw at times, Velveteen Rabbit-real, and captivating. Because she has accomplished some things I aspire to achieve I thought reading her blogs might encourage me and guide me in the direction I choose to go. So I read, every post. I’m learning some things, about her and about me.

She’s beating herself up for not being ‘like this person’, not looking ‘as good as that person’, not being ‘a good enough mother’, not ‘doing more’. There is definitely an undercurrent of remorse about where she finds herself in life. I want to comment and give her some ‘life advice’, but I hesitate, choosing to play it safe. I want to be liked. Will she brush me off as a ‘know it all’? How can I possibly comment about her life when I haven’t walked a mile in her shoes? She is divorced and pines about being a single mom having to financially support herself. I sense she is focusing on the greener grass on the other side of the fence, and forgetting it grows over a septic tank.

Yes, I’ve been there. Not the divorce or single parent road, but seeing the greener grass and being blissfully unaware of the ‘crap of life’ that created the elements for the beauty I saw. It always exists. I often pined, and complained, and moped, eventually learning to take my eyes off all the others who seemed to have it better than me. I learned to focus on the goodness God had given me, right in my own backyard and under my roof. I learned to thank Him for what I had instead of complaining about what I wanted but did not have.

This shift in focus completely changed my attitude about life and about others. A few years after I embraced this concept God began surprising me with things I had previously longed for but no longer focused on. It was not about having or not having this, that, or the other, but rather about understanding where my focus needed to be.

Perhaps I’ll step outside my comfort zone and comment on her blog, and attempt to encourage her after some time in prayer over the matter. I need to explore the world outside my safe zone; become bolder without being a blinding, glaring light. I need to become more real.

Prayer: Lord, help me to know when it’s okay to be gutsy; real. Grant me courage to be a shining light without blinding the person I’m lighting the way for. I pray for wisdom and discernment to play it safe or to be bold for Your Kingdom’s sake.

“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16 NIV).

About Charlotte Riegel

Charlotte Riegel is a freelance writer recently moved from a large metropolitan city to a wee rural community in Western Canada. Some call it retirement. She calls it 're-tire' ment as she explores new avenues of written and visual expression while assisting her husband in establishing a business in the tourist industry.
  • Advertisement

Comments

2 Responses to “Am I Real Yet?”
  1. Cyn Rogalski says:

    Charlotte(if I may be so bold), I have been in your blog friend’s shoes & in your shoes(speaking only what I read in this article. It’s a great article, by the way). She is going through a process and will, God willing, get to where you are.

  2. Charlotte says:

    Thank you for your comments, Cyn.
    I chose not to comment, and by what you’ve said, likely a good choice.
    Too often it’s difficult just to stand back and leave people in God’s hands and His timing….I always want to ‘fix’ what I see is wrong but it’s not usually my place to do so.

Speak Your Mind

Tell us what you're thinking...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!


Prove You\'re Human: *