Rise & Reflect | What Are You Not Seeing?

Sometimes “this is just how it is” is a conclusion worth questioning.

Hello, Rising Star.

Have you ever lived with something for so long that you've stopped asking whether it could be different?

Perhaps at one point you tried to change it. Perhaps you considered other possibilities. But somewhere along the way, “I don't know what to do” became “This is just how it is.”

That's what I want us to explore together today.

Last week, I wrote about a question that has stayed with me:

What are you not seeing?

It made me think about how easily we can become so used to looking at life in one particular way that we stop considering that there might be another.

And I don't want us to simply read these reflections and move on. I want us to sometimes stop and ask, What does this mean for my own life?

That's what Rise & Reflect is about.

So, if you can, find yourself a quiet place. Make a cup of tea or coffee, take out your journal or something to write on, and let's do a little self-coaching together.

There are no right or wrong answers. Just be honest with yourself.

What have you stopped questioning?

Is there an area of your life where you've quietly come to the conclusion:

This is just how it is.

Maybe it's something you once hoped would change. Perhaps you've tried before and nothing seemed to come of it. Or you've lived with it for so long that you've simply stopped looking for another possibility.

What have you stopped believing could be different?

And if it could be different, what would you want that to look like?

Don't worry about whether it's realistic just yet. For the moment, simply allow yourself to answer the question.

You might want to write down whatever comes to mind.

What have you been telling yourself?

Now, this is where it gets interesting.

When you imagine that situation being different, what do you immediately hear yourself saying?

I'm too old.

It's too late.

I don't have what it takes.

I've tried before.

What if I fail?

Your words may be completely different.

What is your sentence?

And perhaps an even more important question is:

Why do you believe it is true?

Sit with that for a moment.

Sometimes we have repeated something to ourselves for so long that we no longer question it. It has simply become part of the way we see ourselves or our situation.

But is it a fact — or is it something you've come to believe?

If your sentence is “What if I fail?”, for example, let me ask you another question:

Have you considered what might happen if you don't?

I'm not suggesting everything we try will work. Of course it won't.

But failure isn't the only possible outcome either.

Sometimes we become so focused on what might go wrong that we stop asking what else might be possible.

What might you not be seeing?

This is where I want you to become curious.

If what you've believed isn't the only possible way of seeing the situation, what else might there be?

Maybe there's an option you dismissed too quickly.

A conversation you haven't had.

Something you could learn.

A different way of approaching it.

Or perhaps you simply don't know yet.

And that's okay.

You don't need to have the answer today.

The question is simply:

What might I be willing to explore?

Sometimes possibility begins there.

Take it to God

And before deciding what you're going to do, take what you've discovered to God.

Tell Him what you've just been honest enough to tell yourself — what you want, what you're afraid of, what you've come to believe, and what you're beginning to wonder might be possible.

Proverbs 3:5–6 reminds us not to depend only on our own understanding, but to trust God and acknowledge Him in our ways.

Perhaps your prayer could simply be:

Lord, this is what I can see right now, but what am I not seeing? Is there something you want me to see differently? Is this something you want me to explore? Show me what my next step should be.

And if clarity doesn't come immediately, don't give up.

Keep praying. Keep listening. Keep seeking God's direction.

Not because we're trying to persuade God to approve our plans, but because we want to become open to His — even if His direction turns out to be different from what we expected.

What happens now?

Perhaps there's just one final question to sit with:

What is one small thing I could do to explore what I am beginning to see?

Not change your whole life.

Just explore.

And maybe come back to what you've written in a few days.

Has anything shifted?

Has prayer brought another perspective?

Has exploring one small possibility helped you see something you couldn't see before?

You may discover that the possibility isn't right for you.

Or you may discover something you couldn't see while standing still.

Sometimes moving forward doesn't begin with knowing exactly where you're going.

Sometimes it simply begins with being willing to look again.

Rise & Reflect is a space for us to pause, ask ourselves some honest questions, bring what we discover before God, and take one small step towards living more fully.