It’s safe to say living a real life isn’t easy, but as we discussed a few days ago, it’s certainly worth it. Living a real life helps us function out of integrity instead of incompleteness. It aids us in becoming the people God intends for us to be. And, it also guides us in our relationships with one another. We’ll talk about these last two in posts yet to come.
Once we begin to live in this real-life pattern, we desire for everyone to experience this freedom, especially those with whom we do life. Today is as good a day as any to invite others to join us in living a real and authentic life.
But, how? Do we just go up and say to someone, “I’m living a real life and you should too”? For some reason I don’t think that invitation would be very well received, do you? So how do we invite another to join us, to journey along with us in this living a real life escapade?
3 Ways to Invite Others to Live a Real Life
1 – Invite by example.
When we focus on you being you and me being me, that becomes noticeable. When we live our lives in authenticity and genuineness, that’s eye-catching. There’s something about someone who’s real. That person tends to stand out because that isn’t always the norm in this world. When others see how you’re living differently, and with a whole lot of freedom to boot, they will want what you have. Your living example is the best invitation.
2 – Invite by encouragement.
Something happens when someone is encouraged. There’s a force, a strength that develops in the atmosphere of encouragement. Maybe you’ve experienced it. Once we get a taste of that encouragement, we want more of it, and we want to pass it on and share it with others. When we spur another on in his or her uniqueness or gifts or faith or abilities, a desire to live a real life has a tendency to follow. Encouragement is a powerful invitation to live a real life.
3 – Invite by messing up.
Yes, you read that right. When another sees how real–and imperfect–we truly are and how we handle our mess-ups, believe it or not, that can be a big invitation. Others are watching how we handle our failures. Do we try to sweep them under the rug? Do we make excuses for them? Or, do we blame them on something or someone else? Let’s be more about asking for grace, asking for forgiveness, and apologizing when we mess up. That’s being real in a powerful way.
Now it’s your turn. What are some other ways we can invite another to live a real and authentic life? I look forward to reading your suggestions below.
Thanks for journeying with me!
Blessings,
Julie
I’m linking up with the Five Minute Friday community on this Day 13 of 31 Days of Living a Real Life, with the prompt INVITE. I have to say, however, the heart of this post took me eight (not five) minutes to write, and I added some sentences before and after its heart. I invite you over to the Five Minute Friday page to read what others have written on this great word. What would you write?
You can read the prior posts in this series here.
Julie, this is a breath of fresh air. I believe when we live our lives with authenticity and a healthy dose of grace, it shouts to the watching world that it’s okay to be vulnerable. Because of Jesus, we can be flawed AND fabulous! Blessings to you!
Donna, I love that… flawed and fabulous! Amen. So glad we can be both. Thanks for stopping in and for sharing. Bless you!
In the youth ministry circle, we talk about triple A adults: authentic, available, authentic. I believe those descriptions should be how we all live and embody an authentic life.
Yes, indeed. I believe that too. Thanks, Tara!
“Others are watching how we handle our failures.” They absolutely are. They need to see it so they can handle their own.
What if we all encouraged each other in our failures instead of pointing fingers and condemning each other in them? What a different world it would be. I want to handle my failures in a way that helps others handle theirs. Thanks for your words here. I sure appreciate them!
I’d add this – invite by laughter. If you see someone laughing, don’t you wonder what they’re laughing about? And you can even laugh at death…it’s the best and most effective “**** you!” that you can give the devil, because fer of death is his ultimate weapon.
But I have to admit that today was grotesquely painful, and living a real life seemed a lot less appealing than living a romantic comedy as, say, Hugh Grant.
OK, I’m Asian, so maybe Jackie Chan trying to channel Hugh Grant?
It brings me great joy to know your real life–and mine–is what’s ahead for us in eternity. Thanks for making me chuckle today! Sorry today was a painful day. I continue to pray for you. Thanks for adding this to my list!