A Realist

by: Janice Seney

I am not a dreamer

More of a realist,

Facing those things that are

Even though to others

They do not appear.

The reality of God's Word that

Will never pass away,

Is much surer and stronger than

Anything I can touch or others say.

So a realist I am

Walking - Living - Moving

And having my being in Him.

Sometimes people scold me for being "too negative" about certain things. My response is usually that I am a realist and reality is not always cupcakes and rainbows. It involves suffering, pain, and tears. "But you've gotta be more optimistic about things," they explain. Optimism and realism can go hand in hand if you think about what each of these words actually mean. Realism is looking at things unbiasedly as they truly are. Optimism is usually described as "hoping for the best" or "looking on the bright side of things". The truth is, the "bright side" or "best" that we are hoping for, is reality if you choose for it to be. The poem above is fairly high up on the list of my favorites. It encapsulates just about everything I believe to go along with the definition of a realist. Reality is truth and truth is found in God's Word and God's Word displays this "bright side" in Jesus Christ that optimists are longing for.


Romans 8:28 states, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Therefore, all things, a.k.a reality, are working together for the good of those who love God. Who are those that love God? In John 14:15 Jesus explains, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." So, for those of us who genuinely repent of our sins, believe in Jesus Christ, and follow Him in the way He instructs us to live, God is working all things together for our good. In that case, we can hope for the best because we are already promised to receive the best in ALL things. Here is the catch where most people get entangled, though. We have to believe in God's idea of what is best for us above our own ideas. We have to trust Him completely and know that, since His ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9), He is always working all things together for the good of those who love Him. This even includes the suffering, pain, and tears mentioned previously. How much do you truly trust in Him and His Word?


May you be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus and may your faith and trust in Him abound.